Charms and Curses
by Thalia Kendall
Summary: Two very different yet startlingly alike people are on a mission for the Light Side. The elegant French princess and the fearless English adventurer meet, and sparks fly. BillFleur fic DONE!
1. Chapter 1

Yay, and Thalia finally decides to write a multi-part HP story!!  
  
The insane authoress' bull$h!t babble:  
  
Okay, now, the important thing to note is: this story pairs together Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour. Anyone who does  
not like this 'ship should TURN BACK NOW!! I do NOT want to receive any flames on why this 'ship disagrees with your  
religion, morality, digestive system, or anything else. You have been WARNED that this fic will be a Bill/Fleur fic.   
  
You know how fanart can be inspired by fanfiction? In this case, it was reversed. The fic was inspired by the Bill/Fleur  
'shipper pic by Charisse Jade Ling (http://www.angelfire.com/art2/jadechopsticks/fleurbill.html). So yeah, that's what  
got me started on this.  
  
Okay, as you all know, disclaimers apply. They ALWAYS apply. Yadda yadda yadda. Suing me is not recommended.  
  
Now, enough of this crap. Let's get going...  
  
***  
  
Heads turned when the slim, strikingly beautiful young woman stepped out of the apparition point and into the blazing  
sunlight. Dressed in Muggle-style linen pants and a matching sleeveless top of warm golden brown, with a white scarf  
that covered but did not conceal her lustrous, wavy blonde hair, she had the type of majestic beauty reminiscent of  
Grecian goddesses, but her luminous sapphire eyes, though intelligent and seemingly confident, held a tiny glimmer of  
hesitation.   
  
A bearded man whistled appreciatively as she passed, and immediately all tentativeness disappeared from her eyes as  
the young woman fixed the offender with a glare icy enough to freeze an erupting geyser. Shortly, she reached an inn  
called "The Saucy Sphinx", a sign by the door showing a picture of a winking woman/lion holding a bottle of wine in one  
hand. The girl strode in, and, ignoring the interested looks from the males sitting around the place, went straight up to  
the counter.  
  
The elderly witch at the counter looked at the girl with a mix of sympathy and curiosity. Almeda Tesmar had worked at  
the Saucy Sphinx since she was a girl, serving drinks while her mother ran the counter, and in those 50 years she had   
seen all types come in. This girl looked like she had veela blood in her, a guess that was confirmed by the very marked  
interest the males in the establishment were paying her. She also was, without a doubt, NOT from anywhere close by.  
But Almeda voiced none of these thoughts, and simply asked the girl if she needed help with anything.  
  
"I would like to 'ave a room for ze night, pleaze. Are zere any rooms where I would 'ave peace and privacy? Eef  
zere eez such a room, I would like to rent eet. Put eet under ze name of Fleur Delacour." The girl replied in a modulated,   
accented voice.  
  
"Certainly. Oswaldo!" At that moment, a boy of seven with a round brown face and an upturned nose popped out from   
the back room. "Yes, grandma?"  
  
"Please show our guest Miss Delacour to her room upstairs." Almeda handed the boy a key, and the boy Oswaldo gave  
Fleur a toothy smile and a funny little bow. He said in a serious voice, "Please follow me, Miss...Dalli...Dili...Miss Pretty  
Lady!"  
  
Fleur laughed softly, and levitated her trunk ahead of her as she followed the boy up the stairs to the third floor. The   
boy peered closely at room number after room number, finally stopping at room 320. "This is your room, Miss Pretty Lady.  
I hope you have a nice and enjoyable stay here at the Saucy Sphinx." He finished proudly. Fleur gave the boy a smile,  
a handful of knuts for his pains, and patted him on the head. "Sank you vairy much."   
  
Fleur Delacour had been a most stately individual once upon a time. With her part-veela heritage, she was easily one  
of the most beautiful girls in her school, Beauxbatons. Her parents were wealthy and she made top marks in her classes.  
She had been vain: justifying it with the thought that if boys were so shallow and weak to fall for her charm without her  
even trying it was their fault that they would end up heartbroken if she spurned their affections. She had been snobbish  
to others in the past, a result of being as endowed as she was with more than her share of both beauty and brains. But  
within the last year, she had been humbled.   
  
She had been Beauxbaton's champion for the Triwizard Tournament. She had been competing against a slouching, sullen  
Bulgarian Quidditch player, a mild-mannered young man and a skinny boy of about 15! She had thought that they would  
be no competition at all, and had kept that attitude until the Second Task.   
  
Beauxbatons was known for its excellent instruction in Charms, but its Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum was at  
best mediocre. And Fleur, satisfied with her high marks in all her other classes, had not taken the time to learn any more  
than the curriculum offered. Which might have turned out to be a grave mistake had the boy, the skinny, spectacled one  
who had somehow gotten into the tournament, not had an unusually chivalrous heart. While she had been attacked by the  
grindylows, unable to complete her task and save her sister, Harry Potter had, to his own scores' detriment, brought her  
up along with his own prisoner. After that humbling but necessary lesson, Fleur had swallowed her pride entirely, and for  
the rest of the year, spent every available moment she had brushing up on Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes  
and History of Magic, her weak areas. With furor and determination, she had hammered away at the subjects, and when  
she had taken the Examen Sommital de Magie, the French equivalent of the NEWTs, and she had gotten, to her surprise  
and satisfaction, perfect scores not only in Charms, Transfiguration and Arithmancy, but in Defense Against the Dark   
Arts and Ancient Runes as well. Also, with a 97% in History of Magic, a 99% in Herbology, a 94% in Magical Creatures, a  
95% in Astronomy and a 96% in Potions, she had been selected by the French Ministry of Magic to represent them and  
work alongside the British on a very special mission.  
  
After the end of the Triwizard Tournament last year, she had been more than a little angry at the bumbling, idiotic denials  
of Fudge, the English Minister of Magic, in the face of You-Know-Who's return. When the moronic little man had negated  
the facts that were staring him in the face, it was all that Fleur could do to not let her Veela temper get the best of her  
and tell Cornelius Fudge exactly what she thought he should do with himself, involving a Hungarian Horntail, a giant squid  
and a wand used in rather improbable ways. So when Albus Dumbledore informed Madame Maxime of various projects that   
they would do well to undertake, she had volunteered on the spot for this one. Several of her fellow Beauxbatons' students,  
seeing that their Princess was willing to go to Egypt alone and work for possibly little pay, and that their Headmistress,  
too, was going on an expedition for the Light Side, had also volunteered to help out. Dumbledore had thanked both her  
and Madame Maxime afterwards, and then had given her instructions on how to get to Egypt, what to do after getting  
there, and finally had sent her off telling her that he would be sending one of his most trusted wizards to work together  
with her on the mission.  
  
It was now time for dinner. So far, no trusted wizards had shown up yet, but Fleur supposed that he could be waiting in  
the dining area downstairs. With this in mind, she left her room, locked the door with an intricate little charm that she'd  
learnt at Beauxbatons that would deter almost any burglar, stalker or other individual trying to break into her room, and  
gone downstairs.  
  
The place was crowded. Fleur scanned the place anxiously. Many men gave her interested looks and beckoned her to  
join THEIR table, moneybags in hand as if to say 'Just join us for a drink, on us.' And the Fleur of the past might have  
agreed, and joined the handsomest man there without a second thought, rejoicing at her Veela charms. But the Fleur of  
today was a different individual. There was no time for flirtation and nonsense. The sooner she found her partner-to-be,  
the better. Then, she would be able to determine if he were indeed as competent and easy to work with as Dumbledore  
had implied, and then they would go from there.  
  
But it seemed that the fates were conspiring against her today. All the tables were filled. All had men leering at her. If  
she wanted to have dinner at all, she would have to sit with someone. Fleur stifled a groan, then suddenly, her eyes lit  
up like blue stars when she saw, at a table in the corner, a tall young man with long red hair. She remembered seeing him  
at Hogwarts for the tournament. The big brother of that redheaded Ron Weasley who had asked her to the ball, whom  
she had refused because she had noticed the little daggers that the brown-haired girl had been glaring at her ever since  
her arrival. Fleur was no fool when it came to reading emotions, the ability was actually magnified when one had Veela  
blood. And she'd been able to see that Ron and the girl, Hermione, were not the purely lighthearted platonic friends   
that everyone up to and including themselves thought they were. Well, the redhead with the ponytail, although a stranger,  
looked nice and decent enough, and besides, his family was delightful. Fleur immediately walked over towards his table.  
  
Bill Weasley had been sent by Albus Dumbledore on a special mission. Dumbledore, aggravated and saddened that the  
Ministry under Fudge would not be of much help in deterring Voldemort, had sent him to Egypt to look for a particular  
artifact that, if found and used correctly, would be a major aid in the battle against the Dark side. He had also mentioned  
that there would be another person joining him on his mission, someone he had not met or worked with before, but should  
prove equal to the challenge. He had just arrived at the local inn for dinner, and had just finished ordering what to drink  
when a soft voice startled him.  
  
"Excuze me, but are you ze eldest bruzzer of Ron Weazley?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Bill Weasley, and whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" Bill had looked up when the odd question had hit  
his ears to see the most radiantly beautiful woman he'd ever met in his entire life. Slim and elegant, blonde and blue-eyed,  
the woman looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. She looked vaguely familiar.  
  
"Ah, 'ow rude of me. My name is Fleur Delacour. I met your bruzzer at ze Triwizard Tournament last year. I was wondering,  
zat is, eef you don't mind, may I sit down here wis you? Ze other tables...well, zose men want me to sit wis zem but..."  
  
"Ah, okay. Here, take a seat." Bill gave the young woman an easy smile and gestured the seat across from him. Fleur sat  
down and smiled back at him.  
  
"Sank 'oo, Mistair Weazley."  
  
"Call me Bill. I'm about to have dinner. I'm assuming that you are here for the same reason."  
  
"Oui. Would eet be too much trouble eef I ate wis you? Zese men 'ere are way too susceptible to Veela charms."  
  
"No, not at all." So the girl had Veela blood in her. Quite odd, seeing as to how she seemed almost apologetic about it,  
rather than flaunting it off. "So, I gather that you're from France."  
  
"Oui, I went to Beauxbatons Academy. I would be correct in assuming that you were a student at 'ogwarts, is zat right?"  
  
"Yes, that's right. I graduated a few years ago, though. I've been working in Egypt since. Is this your first time here, in  
Egypt?"  
  
Fleur nodded, "Eet seems fascinating, but I am sure you understand it is razzer intimidating as well to come to a new land,  
but Egypt seems vairy interesting, and I am sure zat my experiences 'ere shall be très excitant."  
  
Their food soon arrived, and the two fell to a spirited discussion of Egypt, magic in general, and various spells and things  
they'd learnt, comparing the two Wizarding schools. Bill smiled to himself as the blonde talked eagerly about the different  
charms that she'd learnt, slim white hands flying in front of her as she gesticulated. Her earnest yet enthusiastic manner  
of speaking reminded Bill of Hermione Granger, the Muggleborn witch friend of his brother Ron. By the time dinner was over,  
the two were fast friends.  
  
"Well, eet 'as been a pleasure to meet you. But I must retire for zis evening, I have some razzer important work to do  
tomorrow. 'ope to see you around later." She proferred a slender hand.  
  
Bill shook it warmly, then surprised her by laying a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Yes, same here, I've a big day ahead of   
me. It was a pleasure, Miss Delacour."  
  
"Oh, pleaze call me Fleur."  
  
"Fleur, then. Anyway, I better get going. If you want to get together sometime, or if you need any help here in Egypt,   
send me an owl, okay?"  
  
"Oui, sank you again. I will." Fleur gave him a dazzling smile, veela charm making him blush slightly, and strode away out of  
the dining room towards the stairs."  
  
Bill watched the graceful young woman leave. 'Well, that had been interesting. Not a bad end to a long day, Weasley.' It  
was too bad that the times were so tough. Business before pleasure, and he had a mission for Dumbledore to complete. If  
the lovely Fleur Delacour would stay in Egypt for the entire duration of the mission...he shrugged. Bill certainly was not a  
stranger to flirtation, but the part-veela intrigued him. If only for her lack of emphasis on using her veela powers. And she  
was smart. And charming. It was indeed too bad that he really didn't have time to pursue a romance with someone like  
her at this time.  
  
***  
  
Okay, there we go....more coming up hopefully soon!! REVIEW and tell me what you think! 


	2. Chapter 2

Again, I would like to express my disapproval at ff.net's evilness. And reiterate that once I am done with the works that  
are currently in progress I will post them at my website.   
  
I won't go into detail about the evilness. I'm sure that a lot of you are well aware of what it is. Suffice it to say that the  
one(s) responsible should be put into the same room as all the Mary Sues and Gary Stus of the Harry Potter fanfic world.  
And all the annoying characters (i.e. Lockhart, Trelawney, etc.) so that they slowly go insane and want to commit suicide,  
which shall be accomplished by making them drink a sip from every bottle in Snape's lab (as well as a sip of every potion   
Neville has ever tried to make)  
  
That being said...let's move on....  
  
Disclaimers apply. Historical info mostly accurate. Except Caesarion really did die.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Fleur awoke at dawn to the tap-tap-tap of an owl at her window. Putting on a light blue lawn   
dressing gown, she opened up the window and let the owl in.   
  
She detached the letter from the owl's leg, and opened it up. One was a seemingly blank parchment, the other   
was a letter from Albus Dumbledore. She unfolded Dumbledore's letter and began to read.  
  
"Dear Miss Delacour,  
  
I did not explain your mission in great detail when last we met. But now, I shall. It is a very important mission,   
but it can go either way. The other sheet of parchment enclosed here, the blank one, has the details written   
on it, which can only be revealed once you perform a spell on it. Just touch the tip of your wand to the paper   
and say the words 'Codex Revealum'. The parchment has been enchanted so that only your wand will make it   
reveal its portents. After you read over the details of the mission, should you choose to accept, please apparate   
to the front of the Great Sphinx at 8:30. At that time, there should be no Muggle tourists around, yet. Your partner   
awaits. Should you choose to decline, please let me know through owl post. Thank you very much.  
  
Sincerely yours,  
Albus Dumbledore"  
  
Fleur opened up the second sheet of parchment, and touched her wand to the center. She muttered the spell,   
and words written in royal blue runic letters began to spread across the page. Furrowing her brow slightly, Fleur   
concentrated on translating the runes:  
  
"The crown and crook of Cleopatra hold a powerful secret. Blessed by both Anubis and Horus when she was born,   
Cleopatra was not only a powerful monarch, but a powerful witch as well. Anubis had bequeathed upon her the dark   
gifts: the power to communicate with and have the total obedience of snakes, and the necromantic arts: the ability   
to summon the dead, even raise an army of the deceased. Horus, on the other hand, had bestowed upon her the   
gifts of the light: the power of healing even the most mortal of wounds, as well as the ability to be fearless and   
victorious in even the most adverse of battles.   
  
Cleopatra had several children, sired by different fathers. By Julius Caesar, Cleopatra had a son by the name of   
Caesarion. By Marc Antony, Cleopatra had a daughter named Cleopatra Selene. Caesarion inherited from Cleopatra   
the gifts of Anubis. He was thought to have been assassinated, but in reality, he had been brought up in secrecy and seclusion, and the boy that everyone thought was Caesarion was actually a decoy. Caesarion, to avoide detection,   
changed his name to Sysarian, which then got changed to Syserin, then eventually Slytherin. And so it was that the   
offspring of Caesar and Cleopatra would be the ancestor of none other than Salazar Slytherin. Although through his   
gifts (the self-same ones that Anubis had given to Cleopatra) it can be seen what his ancestry was, Slytherin's gifts   
are not as pronounced as the original, some of the power had been lost over time. However, with the power infused in Cleopatra's crown, the full powers of Anubis could be unleased.  
  
Cleopatra Selene would marry and have a daughter by the name of Drusilla. This daughter would inherit, from Cleopatra,   
the gifts of Horus. Drusilla, when she grew up, would end up marrying a man by the name of Griffus. Through the   
course of time, that name would also be altered time and again. First, Griffus would be changed to Gryffius, then, to   
Gryffine, and finally, to Gryffindor. Just as her kinsman would be the ancestor of Salazar Slytherin, Drusilla would be the ancestor of Slytherin's most bitter rival, Godric Gryffindor. Like with Slytherin, Gryffindor would have inherited the gifts   
of his ancestor, but also, they would be weakened with the numerous successive generations. However, the powers   
of Horus lie fully dormant in the crook of Cleopatra.   
  
Cleopatra's mausoleum, which houses all of her treasure, has never been found. It is protected by countless   
enchantments and spells. Both Muggle and wizard alike have looked for it, and vanished forever. To this day, the   
crown and crook have been lost."  
  
Underneath the runes was a note from Dumbledore: "Now that you know the details of the mission, you should also   
realize that it is a highly risky endeavour. The Dark Lord seeks these artifacts to bring himself back to full power. With   
the aid of these items, he would be invincible for ten years, which would be more than enough time for him to bring an   
end to the world we know today, and find an heir to pass on his powers to when his time comes to an end. However,   
I have reliable information that he shall not start searching for the artifacts until Halloween. He must never be able to   
find them. That will be your mission, Miss Delacour, to locate and bring back these artifacts, so that they may never   
be used for darkness. It will be a mission that involves daring and danger, but I have chosen both you and your partner because I firmly believe you two up for the task. Both of you are highly skilled in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. Also, with the combination of your extraordinary talents in Charms, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy,   
and his aptitude in curse-breaking, Magical creatures and History, I would not hesitate, out of all the wizards and   
witches I know, to choose the two of you for this particular mission. Should you choose to accept, I wish you luck,   
and thank you from the bottom of my heart."  
  
Fleur mulled over the information for a while, then strode decisively over towards the fireplace and threw in a handful of   
iridescent powder. Soon, the grizzled head of Pierre Maitrehistorique appeared in the flames. He had been her tutor in   
history, who had gotten his degree at the Academie de Magie with his thesis on Egyptian wizardry, so Fleur figured   
that if there was anyone who would know about the artifacts, it would be him.  
  
"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Delacour! 'ow may I be of asseestance?"  
  
"Bonjour, Monsieur Maitrehistorique! I was wondering, would you know anysing about ze crown et crook of Cleopatra?"  
  
"Ah, ze crown et crook of Cleopatra, eh? Zose are vairy powerful et magical items, ze crown being blessed wis ze   
powers de Anubis, ze crook wis ze powers of Horus. Bos of zem are lost at ze present."  
  
"Oui, zis I know, but is zere anysing about where an' how one could go about finding zem, per'aps?"  
  
"Mais, zey lie in ze Mausoleum de Cleopatra, but ze Mausoleum not only 'as ze usual spells and enchantments   
guarding it, but many difficult ozer spells, zat would take a great amount of skeel to break srough. Not impossible,   
for it 'as been done before. However, zere is a final test or barrier of some sort, which no one 'as been able to break   
yet. All zose who 'ave made attempts 'ave nevair come back. So it is unknown precisely what sort of test it is. And,   
zere is a prophecy of some sort, if you believe in zat sort of sing...let me go get it..." Pierre's head disappeared for a   
moment, then reappeared once more. "I will read ze prophecy to you:  
  
'Ze dead Egyptian Queen lies under 'er golden veil  
An' her crown and crook lost to eternal time.   
Many shall be seeking, but all shall fail  
For only ze chosen shall ze treasure find.  
When ze Princess fair meets ze Adventurer bold  
and Charms and Curses intertwine,  
Only zen shall ze treasure of glorious gold  
Be visible from beyond ze mists of time.'  
  
Well, zere you 'ave it. If 'oo believe in zat sort of sing, of course. Well, zat is all I know of ze crown et crook. I 'ope   
zat 'elps you. Au revoir!" Pierre gave a little wave, and then his head disappeared from the fire.  
  
Fleur sat silently for a few moments. Well, if the prophecy held true, it would be possible that the entirety of the   
mission was a wild-goose chase, and that she would just end up dead with nothing accomplished. But then again,   
Dumbledore had decided to choose her. And besides, at least she would be doing something useful. If nothing else,   
whatever information she would be able to glean from the mission would certainly be helpful in the future. And   
moreover, Fleur was not of an overly superstitious disposition anyway. She looked into the mirror and gave a proud   
nod. She would accept the mission. A glance at her wristwatch told her that she had 20 minutes to get to the Sphinx. Quickly, she summoned a white sleeveless Muggle tunic out of her trunk, and a pair of khakis. Quickly putting them   
on, she laced up a comfortable pair of soft black leather boots and put her white scarf over her blonde hair. Then,   
with the Runic letter, charmed to fit inside her tiny sapphire stud earring, and her wand tucked into a pocket, she disapparated.  
  
~~~  
  
Moments later, she arrived at the Great Sphinx. True to his word, there were no Muggle tourists in the area. In   
fact, there did not seem to be anyone there at all. Except...a tall figure standing there, facing away from her,   
long red hair blowing in the breeze. He wore a leather vest with several pockets, the cut of the glossy material   
setting off his broad shoulders. A pair of Muggle jeans sat on his slim hips, encasing his long legs. As a finishing   
touch, he wore tall boots of dark silvery dragonhide. A fang hanging from his ear glittered in the sunlight. Fleur's   
eyes widened, and at that moment, the young man turned around. He gasped, seeing the familiar, beautiful face   
of the girl he'd dined with last night. Simultaneously, they both cried out.  
  
"You!!"  
  
***  
  
Yay!! Chapter Two done!! Woohoo!! Review please!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Yep! Here it is!! Chapter 3 of Charms and Curses!!!  
  
And here we will have a little bit more Bill/Fleur interaction :) *holds up an 'APPLAUSE' sign*   
  
The usual disclaimers apply. Yadda yadda yadda...  
  
***  
  
Simultaneously, they cried out, "YOU'RE my partner?!"   
  
Fleur looked at him in shock for a few moments, then started to laugh, her chuckles sounding like tinkling   
crystal bells. Bill gave her a quizzical look, wondering if the part-Veela was laughing at him, and not as nice   
as she had seemed to be that evening at the inn. Some of these thoughts must have been apparent on his   
face, for she stopped laughing, and said to him, "Eef I 'ad known zat YOU were my partner, I would 'ave not   
left ze dining room an' talked to you longer about ze mission! I wuz worried for a while zat I would 'ave to work   
wis someone incompetent, but zen I sink 'Well, ze Professor Dumblydorr picked zis one 'imself, it can't be ZAT   
bad.' Eet is quite interesting zat we met yesterday, an' neizzer of us knew zat we would be working togezer."  
  
Bill nodded. "Dumbledore didn't give me much information on you, either. Only that you were a top student and   
especially good at charms, and that he thought that we would be able to succeed." Then, lowering his voice, he   
whispered, "Are you accepting the mission?"  
  
"Oh! Oui! Of course I am accepting ze mission!" Fleur looked as if NOT accepting the mission would be only   
marginally less horrible than hexing someone behind his back. Bill raised an eyebrow at her indignant expression.  
  
"Well, you do know that this mission is very dangerous, that no one has ever succeeded in retrieving the crown   
and crook of Cleopatra before, and that we could very well die, right?"  
  
She gave him a mildly exasperated look. "Of course I know zat ze mission is dangerous! Before I came 'ere, I even   
talked to my 'istory teacher, 'oo specialized in Egyptian Wizardry! 'e gave me some information about ze crown   
and crook, an' told me zat no one 'as successfully passed ze final test at le mausoleum de Cleopatra before! I am   
well aware zat ze danger involved in zis mission is great."  
  
"And you don't mind at all? Do you fear?" He asked softly, his dark eyes gleaming curiously.  
  
"Of course I fear! Every person wis any common sense would fear! But to fear is one sing, to fear and then let   
it rule your 'ead and your actions iz different. Ze Dark Lord has come back, an' since I am not on 'is side, I might   
die anyway. Why should I die doing nosing when I could die doing somesing meaningful in trying to stop 'im from   
coming back to power?" Her face was slightly flushed from her vehement speech. He was silent for a moment,   
then his eyes gleamed in genuine respect.  
  
"Well-spoken. I see that Dumbledore was not wrong in his estimation of you." His praise brought a small smile to   
her lips, and she thanked him.  
  
"So, what did your history teacher have to say about the mission? Anything besides what Dumbledore informed   
us of?"  
  
"Well, 'e said zat zere were many many spells guarding it, and zat no one 'oo 'as evair tried ze last one ever came   
back alive. An' no one knows exactly what zat last one is. Also, zere was some sort of prophecy concerning it."  
  
"Oh?" Bill's ears perked up. "What sort of prophecy?"  
  
"Well, it sounded razzer silly, actually. Somesing like might be found in some romance or another. I sink I wrote ze   
words down. 'old on." Fleur removed her left earring and waved her wand over it. Suddenly, a rolled up parchment   
appeared in her hand. "Ah, yes, 'ere it is, you can read it if you like."  
  
Bill took the parchment and opened it up, skimming over the words she'd scribbled down in a flowing, pretty script   
at the bottom of the paper. He chuckled, "So, I am assuming that one of us will have to be a princess for us to   
successfully find the artifacts. And that person shall certainly not be me. Are you a princess?"  
  
Fleur laughed. "Of course not! Do I look like one?"  
  
'Yes, you do. Very much so.' Bill thought to himself. Aloud he said lightly, "Well, I certainly hope that the prophecy   
is not to be taken too literally. As neither of us are royalty, we might be in trouble. Come on, let's go." And with   
that, he walked off towards the Great Pyramid.  
  
Fleur hurriedly followed him. "Excuze me, but why are we going to zat pyramid? Zat is not 'er mausoleum."  
  
"True, but there's an enchanted chamber in there that Muggles have never been able to find due to certain spells.   
Remember, a lot of people come here to vacation and explore. AND, this mission is top secret. I figure, the best   
place to discuss it would be here in this chamber. Plus, you should probably get used to going into pyramids and   
things like that." Bill explained patiently as he led her to a small entrance on one side of the pyramid. Fleur could   
barely make out the runic message engraved overhead. "Curzed be ze one 'oo enters and speaks not of God." She   
translated softly. "What iz ze Egyptian word for 'God'?"  
  
"Geb." Bill spoke softly. The entrance slowly parted, and the two walked in. "It worked!" Fleur exclaimed. Bill gave   
a short nod and smiled down at her.  
  
"Yes, it did. Clever of you, most don't figure out the riddle because of its very simplicity. How did you figure it out   
so quickly?"  
  
Fleur laughed self-consciously. "Well, you probably wouldn't believe me..."  
  
"Oh? Why?" He looked interestedly at her. She shrugged. "Somesing zat I actually liked doing in my spare time was   
to read Muggle literature. Zere is a very similar riddle in a book by zis writer named Tolkien. Also a riddle about 'ow   
to get srough a door." She blushed slightly, "I know zat most of our kind do not like to associate wis anysing zat is   
Muggle, but zey do have some good books..."  
  
"Oh! You're talking about 'The Fellowship Of The Ring' from the Lord Of The Rings' trilogy, right?" Bill exclaimed. "My   
dad is quite interested in Muggles, and he has a collection of Muggle books and gadgets. He gave me the Trilogy   
when I made Head Boy."  
  
"Oh! Your parents must have been proud of you when zat happened!" And so the casual conversation continued on   
as they walked down a narrow, meandering, twisted stone path. Bill walked quickly and surely, making a left turn,   
then a right turn, then another right, then left again...but Fleur looked around with bewildered eyes. Gently, she   
plucked out one single golden hair from her head, tapped it with her wand, and set it on the ground. Like a thread   
of sunlight, the hair grew longer and followed behind her heels as she walked alongside Bill towards their destination.  
  
Finally, they reached what looked like a stone wall, every inch of it inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Bill paused.   
"This is the room. Now, this is how you open it." He withdrew his wand from a pocket, then waved it in a circular   
motion in front of the large eye-shaped glyph in the very center of the door. Then, quietly, he spoke the magic word,   
"Apokalypto", and four of the many glyphs glowed golden, forming a word. "Wsir." Bill said quietly, and the stone wall   
split neatly down the middle and opened inward. "Well, here it is."  
  
Fleur briskly walked forward, "Lumos." She whispered. The tip of her wand was a ball of light in the darkened room,   
and she stepped inside. Bill's eyes widened. "Fleur, wait a second!" But his call was too late, and a shriek sounded   
from within the room.  
  
Fleur did not see where it came from, or how it came, but suddenly a piece of rock came hurtling across the room and   
hit her on the arm. She yelped in pain and surprise, and suddenly, Bill had bounded in the room as well, grabbing her   
hand and swinging her easily behind him as he shot a spell in the direction that the rock had come from. Abruptly, there   
was silence, and Fleur was able to see what it was that had thrown the rock at her.  
  
"A ghoul, is it not?" She asked Bill. He nodded.  
  
"The Egyptian wizards installed him here so that any Muggles who might try to force their way into the chamber by  
breaking down the door would get scared away." He glanced down at the hand he still held in his own, and his gaze  
travelled up to her arm. The stone had scraped her skin slightly, and a bruise was starting to form. "I'm sorry, I forgot  
to tell you about it, I've been here so often that I barely think of him any more."  
  
He looked genuinely contrite, so Fleur simply shrugged, "Zat is all right, I should 'ave been more careful before walking  
into a room in ze first place. I will remember zat for next time. " His hand was warm, not nearly as smooth as hers, not  
an aristocratic hand, but solid and capable and comforting. He pointed his wand at her arm and muttered a healing  
spell, and the pain went away. "Here, sit down." Still holding her hand, he led her to a stone bench against the wall.  
  
She sat, and he sat next to her. "So, I did a bit of investigation after I found out what our mission was." He dropped  
her hand, and extracted a sheet of parchment from a pocket. "Cleopatra's Mausoleum is right here."  
  
In the light from her wand, Fleur was able to see that the parchment had a map on it. Miniscule pyramids, obelisks,   
and other markings showed the various structures around the place. And outlined in red was a square tower with two   
windows. "Cleopatra's mausoleum." She whispered softly. "It is wisin ze anti-apparation zone, is it not?" She said, one   
slender finger running over the shadowed area surrounding the mausoleum stretching out about 30 square miles. He   
nodded.  
  
"We will have to travel there by foot, but we should carry broomsticks with us just in case." He remarked. "I have   
gotten us both portable Gringotts broomsticks that can shrink to the size of a quill. Of course, not something like a   
Firebolt, but fairly fast anyway. And they're made of ironwood and covered with dragonhide. Unbreakable. Anyway, the  
journey should take a month at most. We'll have to travel as Muggles so as to not attract attention, but no matter.   
After we get there, though..." He sighed lightly, "Let's just hope we can retrieve the crown and crook and get out of   
there before Halloween."  
  
***  
  
Okay...notes on the various spells used here...  
  
"Geb" - Egyptian for God  
"Apokalypto" - Greek for "Reveal"  
"Wsir" - Egyptian word denominating the God Osiris (seeing as to how this IS a tomb, after all...) 


	4. Chapter 4

Okay....this was originally going to be part of the last chapter...but that would have made it way too long and yadda yadda yadda.  
  
Thanks to the wonderful people who have reviewed ^_^!! Also, a big thanks to Chained Dove, who helped BETA this chapter and also help out with the French *glomps* (psst...everyone go check out her work, it's very good)!!  
  
In this chapter, Bill is made aware of the full force of veela power!! ~.^ WOO-HOO!!  
  
All disclaimers apply. I don't own Bill. I wish I did, but nope...he's a character created by JKR and for the purposes of this fic, FLEUR owns him, not me~_^. Needless to say, I don't own Fleur either.   
  
***  
  
Fleur nodded solemnly. "Well zen, we should get started as soon as possible, n'est-ce pas? Eef we're done 'ere, let's not waste any time."  
  
She was about to walk out of the chamber when Bill stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Wait one moment." He strode over to an open wooden sarcophagus at the other end of the room, and extracted two satchels made of brown leather. He handed one to Fleur.  
  
"Rations, an emergency portkey, quills and parchment, a copy of a map of the land, although the mausoleum isn't outlined on it, various potions... pepper-up, Skelegro and other healing potions, as well as a potion that is similar to Polyjuice, but instead of changing you into someone else it will simply make you unrecognizeable. A Hieroglyph dictionary, and the brooms that I've mentioned."  
  
"Vairy well. Eez zere anysing else?" She asked him. Bill conjured up a loaf of bread and threw it in a far corner of the room. He turned to Fleur.  
  
"I'll release the ghoul in a moment, he'll go for the bread, but we best get out before he finishes it, or he might decide to pelt us with rocks again." Fleur nodded, and backed towards the door. Bill pointed his wand at the ghoul, and a moment later, it jumped up into the air like a cannonball and dove for the bread. Bill dashed towards the door and pulled Fleur out with him. "Wsir!" He said once more, and it closed behind them.  
  
"Er, I'm not sure if you remembered the way back." He began, but Fleur was not listening. She was pointing her wand at the ground, and she opened her mouth. No magic words came out, but a song sprung from her lips, wordless, haunting as that of the phoenix, but much more seductive, and Bill found himself almost involuntarily drawn towards her like a moth to a flame. A moment later, she stopped. "Zere, done. Now I can find ze 'air." Then, she saw Bill's slightly glazed expression, and gasped.   
  
"Bill! Oh, merde, I forgot zat ze song 'ad ozer powers as well..." She shook him by the shoulders.  
  
Suddenly, he pulled her to him in a warm embrace. One hand at her waist, the other came up to stroke her hair softly. "You are so beautiful." His eyes burned with yearning.  
  
Her eyes widened. "No, Bill! Zis is ze effect of ze veela song! It was only to locate ze 'air and... oh, do not do somesing zat you will regret!" Her words were cut off when he kissed her deeply on the lips. And before she could stop herself, she kissed him back. Then, shocked and appalled at herself for giving in to temptation and allowing such a thing to happen, she wrenched herself away.  
  
His eyes lost their glassy appearance as the spell was broken a moment later, and he flushed as red as his hair. "What was THAT all about?" He exclaimed. Was she trying to SEDUCE him? At this time?  
  
Fleur wouldn't look at him. "I'm so sorry. You see, I did a veela spell on a strand of my 'air so zat it would follow me on ze way 'ere, an' zen I would be able to find my way out of 'ere. But... ze easiest way to relocate ze 'air would be to sing ze veela song... and ze veela song also 'as ze ability to enchant men... I didn't mean to... I forgot... I am so sorry for my carelessness."  
  
Saying so, she ran off down the corridor. Bill looked down, and, sure enough, a thin line of spun-gold started at his feet and led the way out. He quickly walked out after her.  
  
She was waiting for him at the entrance, her pale face blushing when she saw him. She looked down at her shoes, and the lustrous sun-spun hair that had caused the trouble in the first place tumbled from its confines in the scarf and fell forward over her shoulders. Bill clenched his jaw. 'No, Weasley. She said it was just veela charms. That kiss, however heavenly it might have been, must not be repeated again. Not when you have a mission to work on. Just pretend that nothing happened. As long as she does not ever use veela charms again, you should be fine.' "We can forget that ever happened." He said shortly. She nodded wordlessly, and followed him as he stalked off towards the northwest. "Come along, we've a long journey to make from here to Alexandria."   
  
  
~~~  
  
They continued silently on their way. Both seemed to be determined to make up for the previous unwarranted intimacy by being unusually distant. Besides absolutely necessary questions and answers about directions, they did not speak to each other at all.   
  
Finally, when the sun was high in the sky, they decided to stop for lunch. "There is an inn close by. A Muggle inn. So act accordingly." He said to her.  
  
"Yes, I understand." Her impassive voice managed to hide the fact that she was getting rather nettled. They had been off to a good start this morning! She was just starting to consider him a friend, and then that one kiss ruined everything! 'Oh, who are you kidding? It was YOUR veela song that made him do that, he would never have done so otherwise.' Her brain scolded. 'He's not one to fall for just a pretty face, but when you went and put that SPELL on him... oh, he must have thought you were trying to seduce him or something!' Her heart argued back, 'But that was one thing! He even said to pretend it never happened and just go on as normal. So why is he being so cold? This is uncomfortable, I hope the entire mission does not go like this!' Mon Dieu! Just the first day of a mission and she was already arguing with herself! This was not a good thing at all.  
  
Bill took a surreptitious glance at his partner. Her face was slightly troubled, a tiny furrow between elegant brows. 'Of course she would be upset! You acted like an animal this morning, and you've just met her. You should just feel lucky that she has not slapped you yet... or worse... for being such a prat. Great... now she probably feels like you lust after her. Which may very well be true, but she's your bloody partner! Weasley, get a grip! Partner! Life-and-death mission! Crown and Crook of Cleopatra... the Egyptian seductress...' SEDUCTRESS?! Good gracious... were her veela powers really that strong? He did NOT like the direction that his mind was going in. Dumbledore should have given him some warning about this...'This is all residual veela magic, Weasley. It will fade, and you will go back to normal.' His rambling thoughts were interrupted by her voice.  
  
"Is zis ze inn?"  
  
He looked up, and saw the sign "The Giddy Goblin" up ahead. "Yes, this is it."  
  
Fleur giggled lightly, "'Ze Giddy Goblin'? Eez zere even such a sing? I certainly 'ave nevair seen one before."  
  
Bill couldn't help but grin, "Eh, well, Muggles have not seen ANY goblins before, so..." And with that, the awkward silence was broken. The two walked in together.   
  
Fleur sighed when heads swiveled around to scrutinize her as soon as she set foot in the establishment. "Merde, zere are times when I 'ate 'aving to deal wis men!" She hissed to Bill. "Zey sink not wis zeir heads, and it makes sings très difficile!"  
  
"Is there anything you can do about it?" Bill asked. 'Let's hope there is. Then, these men would not be ogling her... and other things.'  
  
"Well, it is worse around muggles. Zey do not see a part-veela, zey just see a girl zat inspires zeir lust. When I am around wizards, zey are usually not affected unless I do somesing to invoke ze veela magic. Wis muggles, 'owever..." Bill nodded inunderstanding.   
  
"Here, you can sit down for a while; I will be right back. I need to ask the owner if there is any place on our route that we can stay for the night." He led her to an empty table and walked towards the counter where sat a squat, middle-aged woman.   
  
As if on cue with her previous comments, a fat, greasy-looking man in a sweat-stained shirt approached her, a leer on his face.  
  
"Hey there, girlie. What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this? Come on, I'll take you to some place much nicer." The rest of the men in the establishment laughed uproariously. Fleur's eyes narrowed into thin blue slits.  
  
"Sank you for ze offer, but I am not interested. Now, please, go back to your table and leave me in peace." She said, lifting her chin proudly.  
  
"Aww, don't be like that. Let's not play hard-to-get around me." The man would not be deterred.  
  
"I am not playing ANYSING wis you! And for you, I am not 'ard to get, but IMPOSSIBLE to get, so leave me alone!" she retorted. 'Calmement, Fleur, you do not want to lose that veela temper and set fire to the establishment.'  
  
"Ooh, a feisty one! I like that in a woman." The man chuckled to himself.  
  
"What part of 'leave me alone' do you not understand?" She cried exasperatedly. "Now go away before I 'ave to take drastic meazures!"  
  
A throat clearing loudly interrupted them before the man could respond. Bill had returned, and was looking down at the man who was bothering Fleur with cold fury in his eyes. "The lady is with me. Now, please leave us. I will not ask twice." Something in Bill's forbidding expression evidently unnerved the fat man, who slunk away. Fleur flashed Bill a look of gratitude.   
  
  
"Merci." She said softly. Then, cautiously, "I 'ope we can still be friends, I really am sorry about what 'appened zis morning. And I promise not to use Veela magic on you."  
  
Bill could not help but be touched by her sincerity, and took her extended hand. "Friends, then." He replied, and both smiled. Their food arrived soon after, and the tense, charged atmosphere of earlier left without a trace.  
  
***  
  
Okay, how was that? I promise, the next time they kiss, Veela magic will have nothing to do with it ~_^ Does that make everyone happy? REVIEW! 


	5. Chapter 5

The two continued on their journey, and this time, they were actually talking to each other.  
  
"So, Bill, tell me about your family."  
  
Bill chuckled. "Well, they're a rowdy bunch. The lot of us drive mum insane when we're all home at the same time, but she really wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Fleur nodded, her eyes telling him to continue.  
  
"There's dad. He works for the Muggles Department in the Ministry of Magic. Anything Muggle fascinates him. I remember about that time when Ron wrote me about him meeting Hermione's parents for the first time..." Bill's eyes brightened, then darkened. That was the same time that Lucius Malfoy had slipped that diary into Ginny's schoolbooks. He hurriedly continued on.  
  
"Mum's real name is Mariella Bradford Weasley, but no one ever calls her anything but Molly. She's a great mum, has a formidable temper when one angers her, but she'll always be there for you, you know what I mean? Even after I left Hogwarts and moved to Egypt for work, every Christmas, I would find a parcelful of fudge and cookies and pies, and a hand-knitted jumper, without fail. And mum would fight anything from Voldemort down to garden gnomes, tooth and claw, if they ever dared to harm any of her babies."  
  
"Zey sound lovely." Fleur said wistfully. "My fazzer left us when I was ten...a lot of part-veela or veela women are doomed to nevair find true love...Gabrielle, she's my leetle seestair, barely remembers 'im. But tell me more about your family. What of your siblings?"  
  
"Well, there's Charlie, he's the second oldest after me. He was a damn good Quidditch player when he was at Hogwarts, but decided not to play professionally afterwards, instead going to go to Romania and work with the Dragons at the Dragon Reserve there. You might have seen him around at the time of the First Task."  
  
"Oui! 'e was ze redhead 'oo talked to 'arry after ze first task, right?"  
  
"Yep, that would be him. Come to think of it, you probably know Percy too, he took over many of Mr. Crouch's duties. Tall, wears glasses..."  
  
"Ah, yes, of course. 'e is ze serious one, is 'e not? But zis girl in ze Ravenclaw 'ouse said zat 'e was a sweet boy, really. Penelope somesing or anuzzer."  
  
"Oh, that would be Penelope Clearwater, his girlfriend." Bill smirked, "I remember how the twins  
gave Percy a hard time about that one."  
  
"Oh? Poor Percy...why did ze twins give 'im such an 'ard time? Are zey not afraid zat Percy would take revenge when ZEY get ZEIR first girlfriends?"  
  
"No, I doubt that. That sort of thing wouldn't occur to Percy, and besides, Fred and George would probably not care a whit if they got teased when they got girlfriends. Percy and the twins couldn't be more different. The twins are as mischievous as he is rule-abiding, and they love to play jokes on everyone they know. I think the only ones whom they have had chances to play jokes on, and didn't, are Harry and Hermione. But then, come to think of it, I guess the combined forces of mum and Oliver Wood would be enough to deter them from playing tricks on Harry, and Hermione is smart enough, AND, if Ron's words are any indication, tempery enough, that she might just get  
them back tit for tat if they decided to play jokes on her."  
  
Fleur giggled. "Zey sound like wonderful people, I 'ope zat, if it is not too much trouble, you can take me to meet your family someday, after we complete ze mission. I know Ron already, but what about ze leetle seestair, I sink zat she was ze one dancing wis ze forgetful boy at ze Yule Ball?"  
  
"Oh, well, that's Ginny. She's the youngest, and also the only girl. So she gets babied a lot, but not necessarily always understood. She's a sweet thing, though. Had the biggest crush on Harry, probably still likes him. We - we all need to treat her more like a young woman than a child sometimes, I think. And give her more attention and understanding." Again, Bill's voice took on that somewhat sad, dark tone. Fleur glanced at him, then laid a gentle hand on his arm.  
  
"Oui, I sink I understand what you mean. It is an 'orrible feeling when one always tries to overprotect one's leetle seestair, and zen it ends up zat one cannot protect 'er at all."  
  
Bill turned sharply. How could she possibly know about...about Ginny and the catastrophe with the  
Chamber of Secrets?" But Fleur continued speaking softly.  
  
"I 'ave no idea if you 'ave ever gone srough zat sort of experience, but last year, at ze Triwizard  
Tournament, ze second task, I was attacked by ze grindylows, and could not rescue my leetle seestair from ze water. Sank Merlin zat 'arry and your bruzzer 'elped bring 'er to shore, I do not know what I would 'ave done ozerwise." She blushed at the memory, then turned to look at him. "I am a quarter-veela. It is not often zat I would 'ave occasion to feel shame, but zat time, all I felt was shame and despair. When one cannot even keep ze ones dearest to zeir 'earts safe..."  
  
Bill looked at her in astonishment. So, she did understand, after all. "I know what you must feel  
like. In her first year at Hogwarts, something terrible happened to Ginny. She was given, by an evil  
man, the old diary of Tom Riddle." Hearing Fleur's gasp of horror and knowing that she knew who Tom Riddle was, he continued, "She was lonely, and we, her brothers, prats that we all were, didn't pay much mind to her, so she started confiding in that diary. Tom Riddle, through that, managed to possess her and used her strength to release a monster into the school. When we all found out, all of us, her brothers, all we could think was, 'How could we have let such a thing  
happen to our only sister? How could we have not noticed that something was wrong? How could we have been so bloody self-absorbed?!' Even the twins...they were glum for the entire month after finding out."  
  
Fleur was silent for a while, then she said softly, in a voice devoid of accusation, astonishment or  
disappointment, "Well zen, we 'ave somesing in common.. But zis is why we are on zis mission in ze  
firs place, no? so we can prevent anysing bad from 'appening to our families and loved ones evair again." And with that conclusion, and a determined expression on her face, she continued onward, and Bill smiled to himself as he followed.  
  
***  
  
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! 


	6. Chapter 6

Here's the next chapter!! Disclaimers apply!! Again, thanks to Chained Dove for Beta-ing!!  
  
***  
  
They arrived at a wizarding inn for the night, the nicest establishment on the list that Bill gave Fleur   
to choose from. Within minutes, they had reached their rooms. It was a fine suite, with two bedrooms,   
a bathroom, and a large room in the middle where on one side there was a sofa and a pair of desks   
and chairs, and on the other a dining table. Fleur, however, must have not thought it up to par, for   
she darted about, waving her wand furiously as she went, adding pictures, flowers, a chandelier,   
various adornments, changing the color and make of the furniture...  
  
Suddenly, she pointed her wand at him, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Bill found himself floated from the sofa   
that he had been sitting on and set down on the newly transfigured armchair, while Fleur waved her   
wand over the sofa and changed the brown cloth to a cream-colored leather, then floated Bill back   
to the sofa. She strode over towards the fireplace, and glanced over her shoulder at Bill.  
  
"Zey will allow us to eat in ze room and deliver ze food 'ere for a few galleons extra. Would you mind   
eef I ordered some French food?" He shook his head, and she immediately tossed a handful of powder   
into the fire.  
  
"What can I do for you, miss?" The smiling, boyish face of a young waiter appeared in the flames.  
  
"Eef you pleaze, I would like to order some food for two: Brillat-Savarin fondue for ze appetizer, two   
sairvings of Camembert Bistro salad, tartiflette, and lapin au père douillet, oh, an' some truffles wis   
cointreau for ze dessert." Fleur said authoritatively, "And do NOT even sink of using cheap seasonings   
on ze entrées, I will be able to tell!"  
  
"Of course not, miss," the waiter said placatingly, "I will bring it up to your room in half an hour."  
  
"Sank you." Fleur said, now every inch the high-born French beauty that had been Beauxbatons'   
representative in the tournament. She turned towards Bill, who was looking at her with an unreadable   
expression on his face. He said nothing, however.  
  
"I sink zat eet would be nice to stay in comfortable surroundings for tonight, since eet might be a long   
time before we can 'ave such a luxury again. Besides," she smiled at him, "I don't know eef you 'ave   
evair 'ad French food, eet is très délectable, zat is, eef zey make it correctly."  
  
Bill shook his head. No, he had never had French food before. He goggled as she took the white scarf   
from her hair, letting the lustrous golden strands fall to her waist. She laid the scarf on the table, now   
intricately carved out of rosewood and highly polished, and transfigured the scarf into a lacy white   
tablecloth. A wave of her wand added a crystal vase full of red and white roses and two filigreed   
silver candlesticks with vanilla-scented tapers lit in them to the table, and then, there was a knock   
on the door. Fleur's smile widened, and she quickly opened it.  
  
The waiter, pushing a cart holding numerous covered dishes, smiled at her. "Here is your order, miss."  
  
Fleur smiled brilliantly at him, causing the young man, certainly no older than 17, to blush. "Sank you,   
would you be so kind as to put ze dishes on ze table for us, pleaze?"  
  
"Yes, miss, of course." The waiter pushed his cart in, taking a moment to pause and gape at the   
changes that Fleur had made in the surroundings, and then laid the dishes on the table carefully.   
Then, he turned to Fleur, holding out one hand.  
  
"That'll be 45 galleons, please." Bill, still rooted to his spot on the couch, gulped. 45 GALLEONS FOR   
ONE BLOODY MEAL?!? This did not seem to worry Fleur at all, though, as she summoned her purse   
and quickly counted out 50 golden coins.  
  
"Keep ze change, young man, for your tip." she said cordially, handing the lot to the waiter with   
another heart-breaking smile. The young man was now reduced to a blushing, stammering mass of   
fervent gratitude as he stuck the bag of galleons onto his cart. Fleur grinned.  
  
"What eez your name, young man? I might want to talk to you tomorrow, ask you some questions,   
eef you don't mind." she said in a sweet voice.  
  
"M-my name? Ah, my name! I'm Cassius. Cassius Venia, at your service." the young man gave Fleur   
what he thought was a very rakish grin. Bill, still on the couch, rolled his eyes. And Fleur seemed to   
encourage this! She simply smiled indulgently.  
  
"Sank you zen, Monsieur Venia. I am Fleur Delacour. I might ask for you tomorrow morning, all right?"   
she asked, proferring her hand regally.  
  
"O-of course, Miss Delacour, anytime, miss, anytime!" The bumbling, blushing Cassius Venia stammered,   
grabbing her hand and covering it with kisses. Bill scowled, and Fleur firmly pulled her hand away.  
  
"Zat will be all; 'ave a nice evening." Fleur's voice was soft but brooked no argument, and the waiter   
took the hint and left at once. Fleur shut the door behind him, and turned back towards Bill.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Ze food should be eaten while 'ot. Come on." Dumbly, Bill followed   
her to the table, still bewildered at the strange behavior of his partner. He barely tasted the exquisite   
French dishes that she had paid 50 galleons for. First, she would snap at the muggle in the inn that   
they'd had lunch in, then, she would flirt wildly with the waiter here! It did not make any sense at all.   
Women... blowing hot and cold... Bill shook his head, watching Fleur daintily nibbling her rabbit. Well,   
at least one thing was sure. His partner had impeccable taste and breeding. He idly wondered what   
she would think if she ever met his rowdy, close-knit family at the Burrow. They were not wealthy by   
any stretch of the imagination. Then, he shook himself for the wayward thoughts. She would most   
likely never have an occasion to go to the Burrow. And she would never be used to such a place. 'It's   
probably a shack compared to whatever her home is like.' he thought to himself.  
  
Fleur watched as her partner ate. She had decided to treat him to an extra nice meal in hopes of   
making amends for the incident at the pyramids earlier that day, but he had been silent so far. "Do   
you like ze food?" she asked.  
  
It took about 30 seconds for Bill to realize that she was speaking to him. "Beg pardon?"  
  
"I asked eef you like ze food."  
  
"Oh, it's great, thanks." Bill said hurriedly, forcing himself to focus on the contents of his plate. The   
remainder of the meal was silent, as Bill pushed other thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on   
the food. It WAS delicious.  
  
Fleur watched her taciturn partner as he ate the scrumptious truffles that she'd ordered for dessert.   
He seemed preoccupied. 'Probably thinking about the mission. Fleur, he does not care about trifles and   
trivial things like good food and pretty rooms. He's thinking about how to help the light side! And you're   
probably just making him think that you're a snooty little socialite.' She sighed softly, then spoke,   
"Well, you seem to 'ave finished dinner. I will clean up ze table, and I won't bozer you for ze rest of ze   
evening." A muttered charm later, the dishes were clean and gone, and she walked into her bedroom,   
shutting the door behind her, leaving Bill staring blankly at the spot she'd just occupied.  
  
~~~  
  
True to her word, the next morning, Fleur sought out the young waiter, Cassius Venia. He had been   
expecting her, from the looks of it, his hair slicked back to a shine, and dressed in a glaringly bright   
yellow robe, a bouquet of equally garish orange flowers in his hands. Whatever Fleur thought of it, her   
feelings did not show on her face, as she gave him a cool smile and graciously accepted the flowers.   
"Sank you."  
  
"You're very welcome, Miss Delacour. Father!" An older man, obviously the proprietor of the inn, joined   
the young waiter to stand in front of Fleur.  
  
"So, you must be the charming young lady that my son said changed the suite into a luxury room.   
What would you like for payment? I can fetch a much higher price for that room now." the older man   
looked at Fleur shrewdly and gratefully.  
  
"Payment will not be necessary, sank you." Fleur replied, "Alzough, eef you pleaze, could you answer   
some questions?" she turned up the veela charm a brief notch, and smiled at the two.  
  
"Your establishment eez vairy elegant, I am sure zat many vairy powerful wizards would choose to   
stay 'ere instead of any ORDINARY place, and since you obviously 'ave good breeding and brains, I am   
sure zat you know ze surrounding places vairy well, am I right?"  
  
"You flatter us, Miss Delacour." the older man said politely.  
  
"No, I speak but what I observe. So, would you pleaze tell me about zis place? I am afraid zat I am   
not too familiar wis Egypt, for I 'ave nevair been 'ere before."  
  
"Oh, Egypt is fascinating, all of the beautiful sights, the magnificence of the desert, the history, the   
splendor of the pyramids, the powerful magic of the ancient sorcerers..."  
  
"Yes, zis I know, of course. But, I 'ave always 'ad a fascination wis ze last Egyptian pharoahs... Ptolemy,   
Cleopatra... surely someone as knowledgeable as you would know somesing about zat?"  
  
The older man's face immediately took on a shuttered look. "Well, Cleopatra... that type of information   
is somewhat classified... I can't just tell every traveler about her. She was a powerful witch as well as   
a pharoah, you know."  
  
"Of course, but I am not just ANYBODY, am I?" Fleur persisted, accompanying her honeyed voice with   
a sweep of her long eyelashes. "Besides, surely your 'ospitality towards special guests extends as far   
as to give me some pairfectly 'armless information? I 'ave come to Egypt to study ze fascinating   
'istory; would you be so kind as to 'elp me?" she smiled another brilliant, winning smile at the two.  
  
The man softened, and smiled back. "Well, I suppose I can make an exception for you, Miss Delacour.   
You DO seem to be such a generous, smart young lady. And you are correct in assuming that I am   
very knowledgeable in this area." the man puffed out his chest impessively, and Fleur turned away   
briefly to hide her smirk.  
  
"Cleopatra has a most impressively built Mausoleum. That's where she keeps her treasures, of course.   
But there are many spells and creatures guarding it. Of course, I do not quite remember what they   
are..." he glanced at Fleur's knapsack. Fleur immediately opened it up, and extracted a handful of   
coins.  
  
"Ten galleons... would zat 'elp you recover your memory, per'aps?" The older man grabbed the money,   
and smiled.  
  
"Ah, I remember now. Of course, the outermost entrance is guarded by an array of spells. There are   
the usual ones, that make muggles who try to break in perish on sight, but most wizards don't have   
trouble with that kind of curse. However, there are others. Ones who desire to enter the first level   
must fulfill the requirements stated on the moving hieroglyphics. I have heard that the requirement   
itself is not complicated, but the hieroglyphics shift as soon as one comes within two feet of them,   
and reading and deciphering them is extremely difficult, even for full-fledged wizards. And, if ones who   
try to enter do not fulfill the requirements, they get sucked into the sand under their feet and buried   
alive."  
  
"Oh! Do you 'ave any idea what ze requirements are?" Fleur asked eagerly, one hand on her purse   
indicating the willingness to spend more money, if need be. But the man seemed to have no desire to   
say any more.  
  
"Sorry, my dear, that is all I know. Have a good day!" And with that, he walked away. Cassius Venia   
stayed for a second, still grinning like a dolt, before blowing Fleur a kiss and hurrying after his father.   
Fleur rolled her eyes, then turned back to Bill, who had witnessed this entire astonishing exchange   
with mouth agape.  
  
"Well, you 'eard 'im. Let's go." Fleur called as she walked out of the establishment, transfiguring the   
garish orange flowers into a tasteful pink-and-white flowered scarf. Bill followed her out. Well, it   
seemed that he had underestimated her. Despite her fondness for finery, she was no fool. He made a   
mental note not to doubt her occasionally odd behavior again.  
  
***  
  
Whee!! Another chapter done!! What do you think of it? Review and tell me!! 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7! Whee!! Be glad, be very very glad....  
  
Standard Disclaimers apply.  
  
Reviews greatly appreciated!!!  
  
***  
  
For the next month, they walked through the sandy Egyptian landscape,   
continuing in the direction towards Alexandria. They passed towns here   
and there along the way, staying at whichever town they reached by  
nightfall. This day, they set out once more. For a long time, they  
were surrounded by nothing but the landscape. No buildings of any   
type, no other people. The sun blazed in the sky, and Fleur waved her   
wand around the two of them, muttering a basic cooling charm under   
her breath. Immediately, there was a refreshing breeze, slightly   
scented like mint and roses, swirling around them. Bill glanced at her,  
somewhat amused.   
  
"Most cooling charms don't come scented, how did you do that?"  
  
"Well, I just 'ave a special wand, zat's all." Fleur said lightly, "My   
wand 'as a core made of Veela 'air, from ze 'ead of my grandmuzzer   
Angelique, an' zat makes for vairy interesting properties. Ze 'air is   
attuned to my feelings. When I am feeling 'appy an' peaceful an'   
content, zat will give nice sings like ze scent to ze cooling charm,   
but if I am feeling angry an' wrasful, zen...let's just say zat it   
would not be wise to duel someone wis such a wand...it might emit   
flames as well as curzes. Eef, for instance, 'ad I been in a fury   
zat day when we were at zat inn, I would not 'ave attempted to make   
ze room pretty, because I might 'ave made it 'orrible an' grotesque   
instead."  
  
"Well, isn't that inconvenient, though? I mean, if you were angry,   
wouldn't that just make your spells go awry and not go the way you   
want them to?" Bill asked, confused.  
  
"Well," Fleur gave a sharp smile, "eef I was ZAT enraged at someone, I   
sink zat it would not trouble me at all eef my wand was srowing fire at   
zem. Besides, eet is not often zat I will be zat angry. I just sink of   
ze veela 'air as somesing that gives my wand more power, just like   
anysing else zat might made a core."  
  
Bill nodded, "I see. Well, I suppose that it's convenient to be   
part-veela, I mean, just look how people will listen to you, obey you,   
get charmed by you. And it also gives you some extra powers in your   
spell-casting, from what I hear."  
  
Fleur sighed, "Oui, zat is what I used to sink, as well."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Fleur gave him a long look. "Tell me 'onestly, what do you sink of me?"  
  
Bill was startled. What did this have anything to do with what they were   
talking about? Besides, what was he supposed to say, without offending   
her?  
  
As if she had read his thoughts, Fleur spoke, "Just tell me ze trus. I   
will not be angry."  
  
Bill paused for a moment, then replied, "Well, the first thing that ran   
through my head when I first saw you was that you were a very beautiful   
woman." Before he could say more, Fleur interrupted him.  
  
"You see? Zat is what everyone sinks of me. I'm ze prettiest face in ze   
crowd. Ze men want to sleep wis me, ze women hate me but want to be me.   
It gets razzer tiresome after a while, no one evair sinks zat you are   
any more zan an ornament, an' no one takes you seriously..." Bill cut   
her off.  
  
"I wasn't finished though. Yes, you're beautiful. But I've learned all   
my life that there's more to things than just what meets the eye. Like,   
my work here. I can go into a pyramid and see huge heaps of opulent   
treasure, but I would know better than to start piling it into a sack   
and lugging it out. Most of it is cursed, and if I just treated it   
lightly and carelessly, it would go very badly for me, no matter how   
harmless it might appear. So, same with you, you're more than just a   
pretty face. And people should be able to see that. Although I don't   
really know you well enough yet, I know enough to see that you're smart   
and resourceful," he grinned, and decided to tease her a bit to bring   
her out of her moodiness, "and, you're a great kisser. I look forward   
to continuing and furthering our acquaintance."  
  
"You---you---'ow entirely rude!" she blushed and smacked him on the arm,   
but couldn't stifle a little laugh. "An' I sink zat you are an 'orrible   
man!" the smile that she tried vainly to supress belied the indignant   
words.  
  
They continued onwards. Finally, at about one in the afternoon, the two   
of them reached a small town. Grateful for a place to rest and get some   
food, they walked in. Bill gave a surreptitious glance to the map and   
whispered to Fleur, "Muggle town." She nodded, and tucked her wand out   
of sight, though not out of reach.  
  
Soon, the two of them saw, before their eyes, a bustling marketplace.   
Bazaar stalls selling everything imaginable were set up in rows, and   
there were people all over the place. Bill bought two rolls of freshly   
baked brown bread and two roast chicken legs, then handed half of the   
food to Fleur. She took them, slightly bemused, "Do zese people give   
you silverware wis ze food?" she asked Bill quietly. He chuckled.  
  
"You don't need silverware to eat these." To demonstrate, he lifted   
the drumstick to his mouth and took a big bite. Fleur looked at him,   
then at the drumstick in her hand, shrugged, and mimicked him. Then,   
she smiled.  
  
"You know, zis is not bad, especially after a long walk. I did not even   
realize 'ow 'ungry I 'ad become." she took another bite, "Zis is good.   
Sank you."  
  
"You're welcome." Bill answered warmly. Together, they walked at a   
leisurely pace through the town, exploring the marketplace, stopping by   
various bazaar stalls and looking at the wares. Some of the things Fleur   
had never seen before, and Bill would answer her many questions. In this   
new and interesting environment, she was almost like a child, curious   
and full of enthusiasm. She ran up to a stall selling headwear, quickly   
picked out the gaudiest, most luridly colored and ornately patterned   
fez, and made Bill put it on. It managed to clash horribly with not   
only his hair, but every article of clothing he wore, and she laughed   
so hard that she nearly fell over, and had to lean against him for   
support. He retaliated by picking her up and throwing her over his   
shoulder, carrying her through the marketplace. She was hitting his   
shoulders at every step and telling him to put her down, and that she   
wanted to walk like a dignified person and he was making the both of   
them look like fools.  
  
All of the sudden, they heard the soft but unmistakable sound of a   
child crying, close by. Bill set Fleur back down on her feet, and the   
two of them took off in the direction of the sound.  
  
***  
  
Okay! Review!! 


	8. Chapter 8

Wheee! ANOTHER chapter! Be happy!!  
  
As always, disclaimers apply. I own nothing. Don't sue. It's that  
simple.  
  
REVIEW!!  
  
***  
  
Soon, the two came upon a child no older than six, huddled in a corner,  
crying bitterly. Fleur's eyes widened, and she immediately knelt down  
in front of the boy, asking softly, "What is ze matter, mon cher?"  
  
The boy looked up, big chocolate-drop eyes full of tears. "Where  
is my mama?" he asked, lip quivering.  
  
Bill looked around the marketplace. "Where did you last see your  
mother?"  
  
The boy's voice was muffled by his tears, "Mama was sick this morning,  
so Pappy took her to see the healer. He told me to wait here, and that  
he would be back by lunchtime. But lunchtime is over, and he is not  
back! Mama and Pappy don't want me any more..." he started sobbing  
harder, and impulsively threw himself into Fleur's arms, seeking  
comfort.  
  
Fleur glanced down at the child in her arms, face buried in her neck  
and brown arms wrapped around her back. Instinctively, she put her arms  
around him, and looked over his head pleadingly at Bill.  
  
"Bill, please, go and buy 'im some food. 'E must be 'ungry after waiting  
for 'is parents." Bill nodded, and quickly walked off. Fleur turned back  
to the boy.  
  
"What is your name, mon cher?" she asked him softly.  
  
"Ali."  
  
"Well, Ali, I am Fleur, and ze man wis ze red 'air is Bill. 'E 'as gone  
to get you some lunch, and we'll stay wis you until your parents come  
back, all right?" Fleur said softly, rocking the young boy slowly in her  
arms. The boy's head, still burrowed in the crook of her neck, bobbed up  
and down, and his sobs softened slightly. Fleur's eyes had a faraway  
look in them, as she remembered something similar...  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Fifteen-year-old Fleur awoke to the soft sound of crying coming from the  
next room. Lighting a candle, she walked out of her bedroom and softly  
walked into Gabrielle's.  
  
"Gabrielle, qu'est-ce qui est passé?" she asked softly, sitting at the foot  
of the bed. Her little sister, sensing the presence of someone else in  
the room, threw herself into her older sister's arms, sobbing and  
muttering incoherently about a nightmare. Gradually, her little sister  
would calm down somewhat, and whisper into Fleur's hair.  
  
"Fleur, peux-tu chanter un chanson pour moi?" And Fleur would always sing  
'Sur le Pont d'Avignon' for Gabrielle, and her younger sister would then  
be able to sleep peacefully.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
Ten minutes later, when Bill returned with a third piece of bread and  
drumstick, he saw Fleur still in the exact same place and position as  
before, arms around the boy, eyes closed, softly singing a lilting little  
song in French. The boy had stopped crying, and was now looking at Fleur  
adoringly with his impossibly big, velvety brown eyes, little arms still  
around her neck.  
  
A minute later, Fleur noticed his return, and abruptly stopped singing,  
her cheeks blushing slightly. But she quickly recovered, and pulled away  
from the boy to tell him that Bill had returned with some lunch for him.  
The boy, hearing the word "lunch", disengaged himself from Fleur, and  
hurried over to Bill, grinning ear to ear. Bill handed the food to the  
boy, who grabbed it and promptly started devouring it.  
  
"Well, I guess he was hungry." Bill remarked to Fleur, watching Ali make  
short work of the bread and chicken. She nodded, and cocked her head at  
Bill.  
  
"I know zat we 'ave quite a long way to go still, but... eet would not be  
good to leave ze boy 'ere all by 'imself... 'e is too young. We will 'ave  
to wait 'ere wis 'im until 'is parents return. I just 'ope zat zey will  
come back soon, wherever zey are right now." she said softly.  
  
Bill nodded soberly. He had hoped to be able to reach the next town by  
nightfall, but he knew that Fleur had a point. Now that they had helped  
Ali, it would be cruel to abandon the boy.  
  
"We might as well pick up some supplies while we're 'ere." Fleur  
continued. She turned back to Ali, who had finished his lunch by then,  
and took the boy by the hand.  
  
"We are going to buy some sings; you can come wis us, and stay wis us  
until your parents come back. Would zat be all right?" Ali nodded  
enthusiastically, and attached himself at once to her hand. Bill grinned.  
  
"Looks like you have another adoring male at your side."  
  
"Oh, be quiet, you." Fleur laughed, and led Ali towards the bazaar  
stalls.  
  
***  
  
Okay, what do you think? REVIEW!!! 


	9. Chapter 9

Waii waii!! Yet another chapter!!! I am on a roll here!!  
  
Disclaimers apply. They ALWAYS apply. Blah blah blah.  
  
***  
  
Four hours later, the three of them had bought some extra clothing,  
rations, and various playthings for Ali. Bill surreptitiously charmed  
the supplies to shrink and fit into their knapsacks while Ali, too busy  
playing to notice, chatted with Fleur, who was evidently his new best  
friend. Bill watched the two of them, a thoughtful look on his face.  
He had never pegged her to be the type to be so knacky with children.  
  
At that moment, a dark-haired man, sweat dripping down his brow,  
panting and out of breath, ran towards them. "Ali!"  
  
"Pappy!" Ali let go of Fleur's hand and ran towards the man, flinging  
his little body into the man's arms. "Pappy, where did you and Mama  
go?"  
  
"Mama was not feeling well, but now she is much better! I am so sorry  
that it took so long, my son. But, I have some exciting news for you!  
You are now the big brother of a little sister named Yasmin!"  
  
Ali let out an excited squeal. Then, proudly, showed his father his  
new acquisitions. "Pappy! Look at these, Fleur and Bill bought me  
lunch and played with me all afternoon!"  
  
"Oh?" Ali's father looked towards the direction that his son pointed  
toward to see a tall young man with red hair and a beautiful young  
woman with a kind smile on her face. He bowed respectfully before  
them.  
  
"Thank you, kind and gracious people, for taking care of my son. I,  
Hassan Haddad, am ever in your debt."  
  
"You're very welcome. We were just passing srough 'ere, and all of ze  
sudden we 'eard 'im crying, so we decided zat 'e should not be left by  
'imself." Fleur explained.  
  
"And for that, you have my gratitude. If there is anything... anything  
at all that we could do for you..." Hassan Haddad continued fervently,  
looking as if he were desperate to prove his gratitude.  
  
Bill thought for a moment. "Well, Fleur and I have to be on our way,  
we're traveling towards Alexandria, so there's really not much we need,  
but thank you anyway."  
  
"Alexandria? So you are heading towards the Northwest. But there is no  
way that you will reach the next town tonight. Are you planning on  
staying here, then? I am sure that you two will be welcome in our  
home."  
  
"Oh, no, zat is all right. Your wife 'as just given birs, we will not  
trouble you. Besides, we really should keep going on our way." Fleur  
replied quickly. The man looked ready to protest, but decided against  
it.  
  
"Well, if you're sure, I have another idea. First of all, please go to  
my home for supper, you will be welcomed, and it is the very least I  
can do for your kindness towards my youngest son. And afterwards, I  
shall have my older son Raza bring you to the nearest oasis, it is  
about four kilometers from here to the north, and freshly formed, with  
a few trees and fresh water. He will set up a tent for the two of  
and then, you can rest there. I insist."  
  
And with that, he led them towards a house in the distance.  
  
~~~  
  
Three hours later, they set out on camel-back from the home of Hassan  
Haddad after a hearty meal. Their guide was a slim, brown-limbed boy  
of thirteen, who, despite his youth, led them through the desert with a  
familiarity that comes from living in the place all his life. The trip  
was fairly silent and fast, and when they had arrived at the oasis, the  
boy simply unloaded the items strapped to the sides of the camels they  
rode on, and within minutes had erected a sturdy tent big enough for  
the two of them. Then, with a bow, he quickly left, riding on one camel  
and leading the other two.  
  
Fleur and Bill looked at each other, then at the tent. Bill began  
awkwardly, "Well, er, this IS sheltered. I'll just sleep under one of  
the trees. You can take the tent."  
  
Fleur blinked, "No, zat is all right. Ze tent is big enough for ze bos  
of us wizout any problems. And, I trust zat you would not do anysing  
of ungentlemanly behavior in 'ere. Besides, even eef you 'ad such an  
inclination, you know zat I would keel you eef you tried, and zerefore,  
you would not do it."  
  
Bill nodded, "All right, if you say so." Fleur rifled through her  
knapsack, and came up with a bowl for rations. Transfiguring it into a  
bucket, she drew some water from the oasis, and heated it up with a  
wave of her wand.  
  
"Eef you do not mind, I shall wash myself 'ere in ze tent, zen change  
into somesing to sleep in. Zen, I will come out of ze tent, an' you can  
do ze same." Bill agreeably stepped out of the tent and shut the tent  
flap behind him. About half an hour later, Fleur walked out, swathed in  
a cream-colored dressing gown, her hair cascading past her waist. She  
handed Bill the empty bucket. He took it, forcing himself not to stare  
at her, her beauty almost luminous in the starlight, and went to draw  
some water for himself.  
  
Afterwards, the two of them sat together, at the tent's entrance. It  
was a clear desert night. The sky was midnight blue velvet studded with  
diamonds, and the air was cool, almost chilly. Bill conjured a cheery  
little fire in front of them, and cast a warming charm upon the tent.  
Somehow, despite the fact that they'd both had a long day, neither were  
sleepy. They were content to simply sit close to each other and gaze at  
the beautiful night sky in companionable silence.  
  
Fleur shivered slightly, although she was not at all cold, and Bill  
instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, close but not too  
tight. Instead of shrugging him off, she leaned closer, resting her  
golden head against his shoulder. He stiffened for the briefest of  
moments, then leaned a cheek against the top of her head. Cautiously,  
his hand, which had been resting against her shoulder, stroked a silky  
lock of blonde hair. Idly, he remembered that day, at the start of the  
mission, when a veela spell on her hair had ensnared him and he had  
kissed her. She had not cast any more veela spells around him ever since  
that day, but right now, he once again felt an irresistible urge to kiss   
her.  
  
And this time, it had nothing to do with her beauty, radiant though it  
may be. It was because she was smart and quick-witted. It was because  
under the regal, aristocratic demeanor was a fiery spirit and a kind  
heart. It was because she was, in short, the most fascinating and lovely  
woman he had ever met, and he had never felt this attracted to someone  
ever before.  
  
Fleur was feeling warmer than she'd felt in a long time, just sitting  
there, leaning against him, with his arm around her. All of the sudden,  
she started to pick up upon his current feelings. Attraction... but of  
course. Even HE could not help himself against veela blood. Then, to  
her astonishment, respect... esteem... concern... these novel feelings were  
also emanating from him, and Fleur found, to her joyful surprise, that  
these feelings preceded the physical attraction! Jubilant all of the  
sudden, she shifted around and threw her arms about him.  
  
Bill's pleasant thoughts were interrupted by even more pleasant reality.  
He did not know why Fleur suddenly decided to launch herself into his  
arms, but at the moment, he did not really care. Lifting his hands from  
behind her back up to her face, he rested his forehead gently against  
hers and looked into her brilliant blue eyes.  
  
"I know that Veela magic has nothing to do with it this time." he said  
softly.  
  
He did not know who initiated the kiss this time around, but one thing  
was for sure. If the last one had been heavenly, there was no way to  
even describe this one. When he had kissed her because of the veela  
spell, he had felt somewhat intoxicated, as if everything aroung him  
was a hazy, confusing blur. This time, the effect was entirely opposite.  
Everything was astonishingly, gloriously clear. The scent of flowers in  
her hair. The warmth of her lips, soft and pliant against his. The sweet  
taste of the honeyed dates that she had eaten at supper. The way she  
melted, fit so perfectly into his arms. The gentle caress of her slender  
fingers through his hair. He was drowning, losing himself in a myriad  
sensations.  
  
A long while later, they broke apart. Her face flushed, her lips dewy  
and slightly swollen, she gave him a little grin, and wished him good  
night, as she entered the tent to go to bed. He sat outside for a while  
longer, still staring at the sky, but now with an inane smile on his  
face, as thoughts flowed like lightning through his mind.  
  
When he entered the tent to go to bed as well, she was already fast  
asleep, her hair a curtain of pale gold partially covering her beautiful  
face. With a gentle hand, he brushed it back, and then leaned over to  
drop a light kiss on her forehead.  
  
"I love you." he whispered as he lay down next to her, gazing at her by  
the sliver of moonlight shining through the thin opening at the top of  
the tent. And although he could have been mistaken in the dim light, he  
could have sworn that she smiled in her sleep.  
  
***  
  
*The authoress is attempting to wade through the river of sap and cotton  
candy she just created*  
  
REVIEW!!! 


	10. Chapter 10

Whee! I'm on a role!!! Here's Chapter 10!! Aren't you happy?  
  
Anyway, for those who thought Chapter 9 was great and fluffy and wonderful and hope that this  
chapter will be just like it...sorry. This will not be another action-less fluffster. The angst...the glorious  
ANGST!!!!!! *dramatic sigh* But do not despair! The fluff WILL return when the time is right! Just keep   
reading and reviewing!!~.^  
  
Disclaimers apply.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, when Fleur awoke, she noticed several unusual things. First of all, she had been  
sleeping outside in a tent. Second of all, despite the chilliness of the preceding night, she was toasty  
warm. Thirdly and most disturbingly, her head had been pillowed on Bill's shoulder, one hand resting on   
his *bare* chest, and from the looks of it, she had fallen sleep in his arms. Blushing wildly, she moved  
away from him. He did not stir, still fast asleep.  
  
Fleur gazed at his sleeping form. He was beautiful. Not with the august, unearthly beauty of ones  
with veela blood, perhaps, but with an easy, unaffected grace that came from intelligence and good,  
solid values. His hair was out of its ponytail, fanned out upon his pillow. Lightly, so as not to wake him,   
she reached out a finger to gently touch one long strand of red hair.   
  
Then, she jerked it back, as if his hair was fire, like its color so resembled. In her mind, she remembered  
that day, the first time that she had seen her mother cry...  
  
Blanche Chapelle had been a beautiful young girl of 16 when Laramie Delacour had made it his mission  
to sweep her off her feet. A half-veela by birth, Blanche was easily the most beautiful girl in the entire  
Beauxbatons Academy. Charming, sophisticated and smart, she was the girl that every boy wished to  
call his own. But Blanche was shy, and did not talk to him at first.  
  
However, this did not deter Laramie in the slightest, for Blanche was the most beautiful girl he knew,   
and he was determined to have her. Thus, he courted her, with flowers and music and lots and lots of  
sweet words, and gradually, Blanche warmed up to him, and fell madly in love with him.   
  
They married after graduation, and Blanche was sure that it would be a blissful union, happily ever after  
like a fairy tale. And at first, it was. Laramie was the perfect husband, and no father could have been  
more proud when their first child, Fleur, was born. But it was not to last, for beauty, even veela beauty  
fades in time, and when Blanche had lost her bloom, Laramie similarly lost his interest.  
  
The long absences from home grew more and more frequent, and the boredom when he WAS home as  
well. Though she tried to deny it, ignore the unmistakable signs, Blanche knew what was happening.   
Her adored husband was falling out of love with her. She tried desperately to pique his interest...buying  
new and flattering clothing and cosmetics, but it was gone, faded like dead roses, like her beauty. One  
day, without preamble or warning, Laramie simply packed and moved out, never to be seen again.  
  
Where she had once been a charming, happy girl, now she was a bitter, reserved woman. When her  
husband had left her, Fleur had caught her lying facedown on one of the sofas, tangled blonde hair  
scattered all about her, crying heartbrokenly. And she had taken the girl aside, and told her to always  
be careful around men. Never let them in her heart, for she would be the one to end up hurt in the end.  
Fleur and Gabrielle had both inherited Blanche's stunning veela beauty, and Blanche did not want her  
daughters to end up like she did. Love was hurtful, Blanche had told Fleur, and whatever else you do,   
don't give anyone your heart for him to break.  
  
Now, Fleur gazed at Bill, still sleeping, and her vision blurred with tears. She was frighteningly close to  
entering that danger zone, that place where she would offer up her heart to someone, only to have it  
shattered. He was an intelligent man, one who valued what was genuine and not superficial, and even  
though he might be enthralled by her veela beauty right now, it would not last. It would not do to fall  
for him.  
  
Yes, she would make sure not to behave in a less than absolutely professional manner from now on. He  
would undoubtedly protest at first, but it would be for the best. He would eventually stop fancying that  
he was in love with her, and keep his distance...and she...she would...eventually...get over him. Yes,  
she would. She hoped.  
  
A warm hand covered hers, and Fleur was brought back to reality with a jerk. He was awake, although  
still lying down, and gazing at her with those beautiful dark brown eyes. Such warmth, such tenderness  
in his eyes! Fleur sharply turned away so he would not see her tears.  
  
But, obviously, she had not turned in time, for his other hand came up to cup her chin firmly, turning her  
face so that she was looking him in the eye. But she could not bear to look at him, and so, she closed  
her eyes. Twin teardrops bubbled at the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.   
  
She felt smooth lips brushing against her cheeks, kissing the tears away, and abruptly moved away. "No,  
we can't. Bill, I'm sorry, but we cannot do zis."  
  
She had expected anger, indignation, accusations, names. But Bill simply said, in a soft, sad voice, "Why?"  
  
She WAS going to say something cold and callous, deliberately, in order to break his heart and make him  
hate her and thus keep his distance. She WAS going to retreat behind the ice-princess shell she'd always  
worn in Beauxbatons, and he would be disgusted. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out were  
a few dejected words in a defeated voice, "Because I can't fall in love wis you."  
  
Bill sucked in a breath. A part of him wanted to hate her, to detest and despise her for playing him. But he  
was too honest and fair with himself to do such a thing. She had not done anything to make him love her,  
except to be herself. And right now, her eyes full of tears and her face pale, he knew that this decision,   
whatever reason she had for making it, was not an easy decision. So he simply dropped her hands, and  
took a deep breath before saying, "All right, Fleur, if that is what you want, I am not going to force the   
issue." His voice took on a friendly but impersonal note, and he cleared his throat, "Let's pack; if we hurry,  
we can reach Alexandria by nightfall."  
  
Wordlessly, the two of them started packing, avoiding each other's eyes. Within moments, everything had  
been stowed away, charmed to be light and portable. A silence descended upon both of them as they  
continued on their way.  
  
***  
  
All right, a crappy end to an otherwise decent chapter. The ANGST! THE GLORIOUS ANGST!! XD  
  
Worry not, fluff-lovers, the fluff will be back in a few chapters, and I promise a spiffy, fluff-tacular happy   
ending ^_^ 


	11. Chapter 11

In my enthusiasm and recent burst of inspiration for this fic, I have   
been neglecting my Sailor Moon fic... Please forgive me, but it WILL get   
updated next week!!  
  
Anyway, more CaC Bill/Fleur goodness! Still not of the fluff-tacular   
variety, but it will get there, so keep on REVIEWING!!  
  
Yes, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!  
  
Feedback is really good and appreciated. I've become quite attached to   
this fic, so I would like to know if y'all like it, too!  
  
Anyway, as always, disclaimers apply. We all know by now that I own   
nothing but a rather unbalanced and unstable mind ~.^...so don't sue.   
  
As always, a big bouquet of roses, a pound of Belgian chocolates, and   
all similar good things in life to my excellent beta, Chained Dove!  
  
REVIEW! I repeat, REVIEW!!!  
  
***  
  
Walk, walk, walk. Surreptitiously glance at each other when the other   
is not looking. Walk, walk, walk some more. Thus, they continued, and   
the journey through the desert seemed to stretch out forever. Finally, at   
about two o'clock in the afternoon, they reached a wizarding town about   
three hours away from Alexandria, and stopped to take a rest.   
  
Before, when they would stop at town to rest, they would be chatting   
amiably the entire time, discussing what they'd found out about the   
mission, or whatever else they felt like talking about, but today, both of   
them were silent. Instead of getting a table together, as they were wont   
to do for meals, they sat down at opposite ends of a bar.   
  
A disheartened Fleur plopped herself down on a barstool and ordered a   
cup of vegetable soup. Despite having had a long walk, she found that   
she had no appetite. But no, she had to eat. Without food, she would have   
no energy to continue on their mission. So, with a steely look of   
determination in her eyes, she downed her soup, and focused on her   
surroundings. If she was to break Bill's heart, and her own in the process, the   
least she could do was to make sure that she would do anything in her   
power to help him in the mission, so that he would succeed and survive,   
and return to his family in one piece, complete and whole.  
  
Suddenly, her ears perked up, and she focused her attention on a man of   
about 40 sitting about two seats away from her. He was mumbling about   
ancient Egyptian spells to himself and drinking what looked like a very   
alcoholic drink. Fleur smiled to herself, and gracefully rose from her   
seat. Good.  
  
"Excuze me, may I sit 'ere?" she said in her sweetest voice. The wizard   
glanced up and gave a very appreciative smile, and nodded.  
  
"Sank you. 'Ow are you today?" Fleur asked him cordially.  
  
"Well, this day just seems to be getting better and better. May I ask   
what your name is, my beauty?"  
  
Forcing a smile on her face, she answered, "Fleur."  
  
"Fleur..." he drew out every letter in her name as if savoring them, "A   
flower. Quite fitting. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kyle Harden.   
It is a PLEASURE." Grabbing her hand and smothering it with wet kisses   
that stunk of alcohol. Fleur swallowed her revulsion and asked, as soon   
as she pulled her hand away and discreetly wiped it on her muggle   
jeans.  
  
"So, where are you from, and where are you going, Monsieur 'Arden?"  
  
"Oh, I'm from Alexandria. Lived there all my life...." Fleur's eyes   
widened, and she listened closely to the man as he regaled her with   
information about Alexandria.  
  
~~~  
  
Meanwhile, Bill, sitting a few seats away, was seething. What was that   
woman DOING?! That... that lecher was practically boring a hole in the   
bodice of her blouse with his eyes! If he could get any MORE perverted   
in his scrutiny of Fleur's person... she must have noticed, but she was   
laughing with him, going so far as to order drinks for both of them,   
taking a dainty little sip of hers as the lascivious sod drained his.   
Ever the princess. Ever the... the one who was gaily laughing at something   
the other man had said. His disgust and anger grew as Fleur   
coquettishly tossed her head, revealing an elegantly bared neck and flipping that   
mane of lustrous blonde hair. Bill could almost sense the man drooling,   
and he could feel his blood begin to boil.  
  
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to look away, and tried to block   
out the sound of her melodious laughter.  
  
~~~  
  
"So, you say zat ze 'istorical wizarding area of Alexandria is guarded   
by a sphinx?" Fleur was asking the man. By then, she had purchased him   
two more drinks, and two for herself that he had downed as well.   
  
"Yes, she clever too. FOUR riddles! An' none of 'em ever th' same   
ones." The man was starting to get drunk, and his tongue was loosened.   
Fleur, meanwhile, was quickly but surreptitiously copying down what he was   
telling her.  
  
"Oh, zat sounds vairy interesting." Fleur looked down at the parchment   
in her hands, covered with notes. "Well, I must be leaving now, it was   
nice to meet you, Monsieur 'Arden!" She got up to leave.  
  
"Now hold on just a second! You can't go!" The man exclaimed. Fleur   
narrowed her eyes a fraction.  
  
"'Oo is zere to say I can't? I can come and leave as I pleaze, now   
excuze me!" She tried to walk around him, but he had risen and blocked her   
path. Fleur glanced around the room. Bill was sitting away from them,   
and he was not looking at them at all. She had a distinct idea that he   
was sulking.   
  
She sighed and turned her attention back to the man in her way. "I   
shall repeat myself, I am going to go now, so please step aside." she said   
in an icy voice. The man sneered.  
  
"No, girlie. I want to play with you a little bit longer." and he shot   
out a large, filthy hand to touch her hair. And at that moment, Fleur   
lost her temper. No one, NO ONE was allowed to take such a liberty with   
her! Her eyes started to burn, and she knew that the pupils were   
blazing yellow in the center. This should have been a warning to the man that   
he was dealing with one with veela blood, and caused him to back away,   
but he was too inebriated to notice or care, and continued to touch her   
hair.  
  
SLAP!  
  
Fleur felt her hand connect solidly and satisfyingly with his face. It   
was a very hard blow, and the man, in his state of drunkenness,   
staggered and fell. With a huff, Fleur stepped over him and stalked away   
towards Bill.  
  
Bill, who had been valiantly trying to ignore the proceedings in   
Fleur's direction, spun around when a resounding slap and gasp had reached   
his ears. He had turned just in time to see that man, whom Fleur had been   
flirting with, fall to the ground, and Fleur herself, the epitome of   
rage, stomping over towards him.  
  
All of the sudden, he found that he had nothing to say to her. This   
fickle, capricious, troublesome woman who liked to toy with men, lead them   
on before hurting them. He would not look at her as he abruptly picked   
up his knapsack and prepared to leave, and so, he did not see how a   
single teardrop fell onto the sheet of parchment she clutched in her hand,   
and splatter one of the words into a pool of murky ink.  
  
***  
  
Whee! Another chapter of lovely, divine ANGST!! One again, don't you   
worry, the fluff shall resume in another, oh, two or three chapters?  
  
REVIEW!! I've become a review whore, so REVIEW!!!!! 


	12. Chapter 12

And here is Chapter Next of Charms and Curses! And yes, the fluff will   
return in time... VERY SOON... just keep reading and reviewing ~_^  
  
A deluxe mail-order "Hogwarts Hotties in Loincloths" gift set to my lovely beta-editor Dove, who is now collaborating with me on new fics! w00t!  
  
As always, disclaimers apply. I don't own any of the cool main   
characters, only a few of the minor annoying ones. Since you don't WANT the   
minor annoying ones anyway, don't sue!  
  
***  
  
Veela had some empathic, emotion-sensing abilities, and Fleur was no   
exception. And right now, as she followed Bill out, with a look of pain   
on her face, she almost cringed from the jealous rage and hurt that she   
sensed, rolling off of him in waves. Cautiously, she addressed him.  
  
"Bill?"  
  
"What do you want now? Am I another conquest, to ensnare and then to   
hurt?" He snapped at her, dark eyes bitter, "If that's what you're doing,   
forget it! Let me tell you something then, you're nothing to me...   
NOTHING! Just a frigid, fickle little wench, with the face of an angel and   
a heart of ice!"  
  
Fleur staggered, as if the words were a physical blow, and felt tears   
sting in her eyes. However, her sadness was quickly replaced by anger to   
match his own, as she thought of what measures she'd had to take to   
ensure that she got all the information necessary for the mission.   
Savagely, she shoved the parchment full of notes in his face, face white with   
fury.  
  
"ZERE! Ze part of town where ze Mausoleum stands is guarded by a   
sphinx, 'oo will give four riddles! Ze Mausoleum itself can only be entered   
between dawn and dusk! After ze sunset, ze rooms shall fill wis sand and   
bury 'ooever is stuck inside alive! Zere are two corridors wisin ze   
Mausoleum itself, one which leads to a dead end, one which leads to mortal   
danger and ze treazure as well. Zey say zat ze spirit of ze dead queen   
still remains in ze place, and she is a vairy powerful spirit,   
controlling fantastic beasts and still able to perform ancient spells. One of   
ze sings you will 'ave to pass before being able to get to ze treasure   
is an obstacle course of blades enchanted to move! Merde, do you sink   
zat I ENJOY 'aving to get information in zis manner?! Do you sink zat I   
am some type of 'ORE?! Fine! Eef zat is 'ow you sink of me, 'ERE, take   
zis! I certainly 'ave no need for it since you obviously don't want   
anysing to do wis me!" Saying so, she left the slightly rumpled sheet of   
parchment in Bill's hands, and stormed off, bursting into angry tears as   
she Disapparated.  
  
It took Bill perhaps a minute to realize what had just happened. Then,   
a string of profanities later, he put the parchment that she had handed   
him into a pocket, and extracted his wand. Concentrating, he performed   
a locating spell. Three minutes later, another small pop was heard as   
he, too, Disapparated.   
  
~~~  
  
Fleur had Apparated to a sleazy little wizarding town about two   
kilometers to the east of Alexandria. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she had   
run toward a deserted alley, and leaned against the wall, head bowed, a   
funny pain in her chest as she let the tears fall.   
  
A handkerchief was pressed into her hands, and she hastily wiped her   
face with it, looking up and preparing to thank whichever kind person   
offered it to her, but before she could speak, the person addressed her.  
  
"You're a lovely little thing now, aren't you? What are you doing here,   
all by yourself?" Not liking the tone of his voice, Fleur swore to   
herself. Two in one day! This was NOT going well! Quickly, she drew her   
wand.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Her wand flew out of her hands, and Fleur gasped. The   
man was beefy, and towered over her by about a head. He had a camera   
hanging from his neck. Forcing righteous indignation and strength into her   
voice, despite the fact that he now held her wand in his hand, Fleur   
shouted at him.  
  
"What ze devil do you sink you are doing, monsieur?!"  
  
He leered at her, and chuckled maliciously, "Call me Chris. I like the   
way you look, but I'll bet you would look even better without the jeans   
and shirt on. Let's find out, shall we?" He shot out a hand towards her   
collar, intent on ripping downward. She dodged, feeling once again the   
rush of heat to her eyes.  
  
"I'm an... artist... you might say. And you, luscious as you are, would   
make a lovely picture." The man dove for her again, this time managing   
to grab her wrist, as he indicated the camera on his neck.  
  
And then, at the same moment that her veela powers caused his hair to   
burst into flames, a blessedly familiar voice shouted "STUPEFY!" and her   
assailant tumbled nervelessly to the ground, wands falling out of his   
grasp, the stench of burning hair filling the air.  
  
~~~  
  
Bill had disapparated after her as soon as he located her. She was in a   
rather run-down wizarding town, a couple of kilometers east of   
Alexandria. Gazing around, he did not see any sign of her, and he started to   
worry. Then, all of the sudden, he heard an indignant, accented voice   
screaming, "What ze devil do you sink you are doing, monsieur?!"  
  
Surprised at the rage that shot through his body, he started running   
towards the sound of her voice. When he found her a minute later, his   
rage increased ten-fold. Some BASTARD was pinioning her to the wall,   
saying lewd things, and without a second thought, his wand was drawn and he   
shouted "STUPEFY!"  
  
The cad dropped to the ground, and it was then that Bill noticed   
something quite amazing. Fleur, despite the fact that she did not have her   
wand, had somehow managed to set the man's hair on fire. Bill smiled   
sharply. Well, he would make the arse pay dearly. "Ennervate!"  
  
Fleur's assailant sat up, realized that his hair was on fire and that   
another wizard, wand drawn, standing protectively in front of the blonde   
girl he'd accosted, a look of absolute, murderous fury on his face, was   
facing him, and screamed. Throwing off his robe to smother the flames   
in his hair, he dislodged his camera and it fell to the ground, but   
before he could pick it up, Bill pointed his wand at it and it exploded   
with a bang. Standing somewhat away, Fleur suddenly looked thoughtful. But   
not a word was said at the moment, for she watched in wide-eyed   
astonishment as her assailant received two black eyes, a broken nose and   
several punches to the stomach, compliments of her enraged partner.  
  
Finally, her assailant, blood dripping profusely from his nostrils,   
passed out cold on the ground. Bill walked over to where his fallen wand   
lay, and set fire to it. He picked up HER wand and strode over towards   
her. Before she could say a word, he had grabbed her hand and   
disapparated them both back to where they were before.  
  
~~~  
  
They stood there, regarding each other cautiously, with identical looks   
of discomfort upon their faces. Fleur spoke, her voice rather jerky and   
awkward.  
  
"I--I just sought of somesing. You know zose shifting 'ieroglyphics zat   
are nearly impossible to read when you step up to ze mausoleum? I 'ave   
figured out a way to read zem. Since we cannot get wisin distance to ze   
entrance to read zem on our own, we can use a Muggle camera... take   
pictures of it, and ze pictures won't move. Zen we can decipher ze   
'ieroglyphics from ze picture... I--got ze idea from zat... zat man... 'Ope   
zat will 'elp you..." Finished saying what she had to say, she turned to   
go, her head bowed. Bill hated her. He only came to save her because he   
was a gentleman. Well, she would rather... go... and... heal, instead   
of having to look at him scowling at her with an expression of disgust   
on his face every day.   
  
"Wait!"  
  
"What?" Fleur asked softly, turning around. He walked up to her, and   
put a hand on her shoulder. She saw what he was thinking in his eyes a   
moment before he spoke the words.  
  
"I'm sorry. I've been an utter prat. You---you're really something   
else. I'm not usually such an obnoxious git, but... well..." He blushed   
slightly, not quite sure if he should tell her that he was jealous and   
infuriated whenever he saw her flirting with someone else. But she cut his   
words off.  
  
"I'm a part-veela. I know what 'appens when I flirt wis someone in   
particular. Ozer males in ze area get jealous. Everyone wants to own me and   
own my beauty, no more, no less." She said tonelessly. "Oh, and sank   
you for saving me."  
  
"You're welcome. And I'm sorry for yelling at you. I didn't mean any of   
it. You---you must know that I lo--- that I care for you very much." He   
blushed at what he had nearly said. Fleur smiled sadly. Yes, and so it   
began. He fancied himself in love with her. Well, she would help him   
complete his mission. Make sure that he came out alive and unharmed,   
because... the idea of him being killed in this mission was... very   
unpleasant. And then, she would go back to France, and never see him again, so   
that she didn't ruin both their lives.  
  
"I forgive you. Now, let's go. If we 'urry, we can reach Alexandria in   
two hours, and 'opefully tomorrow we can really start ze mission."  
  
***  
  
Oy, and it's done! What fun the next chapter will bring! A sphinx, and   
a MOST SURPRISING message in those fantabulous moving hieroglyphics!  
  
REVIEW! 


	13. Chapter 13

W00ties! And my productivity never ends! Here we go, ANOTHER chapter   
of Charms and Curses for your perusal and enjoyment!   
  
In which chapter, the two will reach Alexandria at last!! A sphinx makes an   
appearance, and they find out what the shifting hieroglyphs say!  
  
As always, disclaimers apply. As much as it saddens me, Bill is NOT mine.   
This is why he is called Bill Weasley, not Bill-Thalia's-Personal-Sex-Toy.   
Besides, contrary to popular belief I am NOT a masochist and would not want  
to try to take him away from Fleur, who is also not mine^.^  
  
REVIEW! I think that my recent productivity on so many ficcies merits lots of   
reviews! Speaking of recent ficcies.....go right now and check out  
http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=250660 for my latest Collab   
fic, and also go and check out "History Almost Repeats Itself" for another   
Collab fic, co-written with the amazing Dove, my beta editor (thanks for the   
help! ~Hands over Limited Edition Draco gift set, with plushies, dolls and a   
life-sized statue clad in black leather~ )! Really, go read, they're worth your   
time! And leave reviews to make me happy and inspire me to write some   
more!!  
  
Okay, moving on!.  
  
***  
  
Once again, they started in the direction of Alexandria, which was now   
tantalizingly close. This time, they did not share their usual light-hearted   
conversation, but instead, both of them seemed to be deep in thought. Little   
did they know that their thoughts ran on quite similar veins. Bill was thinking   
of how to make sure that HIS partner would never again be caught in situations   
where she would be endangered, while Fleur was thinking of how to make sure   
that she could help HER partner make it out of this mission alive.   
  
By the time they reached Alexandria, it was quite late in the afternoon. Fleur   
headed straight for the muggle tourist part of town, and after exchanging   
galleons for muggle money, purchased a muggle Polaroid camera. Now,   
camera placed securely in her knapsack, she and Bill headed towards the   
wizarding establishment. The ordinary wizarding town was unguarded, but   
after walking through it, they reached a plot of open land leading up to a hill,   
with a tower on top. This plot of land was enclosed on all sides by enchanted   
fencing, and the only gate was guarded by a sphinx.  
  
Bill hesitated. He'd dealt with sphinxes before. They were common guardians   
of treasure, intelligent and fair but ferocious riddlers. Now, the problem was,   
he knew that Fleur probably did not have such experience. But… he could not   
leave her behind, either.  
  
"Fleur?" He called out tentatively.  
  
"Oui? What is ze matter?"  
  
"Nothing -- it's just -- you know that sphinxes give riddles, right?"  
  
She laughed. "Of course I know zat! Everyone knows zat! Let's go, Bill! Eef   
we don't 'urry, ze sun will set and I won't be able to take ze photograph."   
Grabbing his hand, she continued determinedly towards the hill.  
  
In twenty minutes' time, they were standing in front of a giant sphinx. Bill's eyes   
widened. She was huge, the biggest sphinx that he had ever seen! Even in her   
reclining position, she was thirty feet tall, her face, twice the size of a normal   
woman's face, was deceptively serene. Sphinxes were not beautiful, but they   
had a majestic, timeless expression, and this one was no different. Her face   
was noble, with light copper skin and yellow, omniscient feline eyes, her head   
covered with streaming black hair. The rest of her massive body was that of a   
lion, covered with gleaming golden fur, with huge paws and long, sharp claws.   
She smiled when she saw the two of them approach, revealing ivory-white,   
sharp teeth, and spoke in a deep, purring voice.  
  
"Travelers, if passage is what you seek,  
Four riddles have I, which I shall speak,  
Silence, and you must forever hence.  
Mistake, and your blood my thirst shall quench.  
Only ones who have passed the test  
Shall pass, damnation to the rest!"  
  
Bill and Fleur glanced at each other. It seemed that both of them would have to   
answer her riddles if they wanted to pass. Bill stepped up first, gazing the   
creature valiantly in the eye. She regarded him for a moment, then spoke her   
first riddle.  
  
"A pair of jeweled eyes before a leap,  
I haunt the night, the squeaker's bane,  
All hail the Goddess, sacred to keep,  
A velvet coat with a plume for a train."  
  
Bill frowned slightly. Jeweled eyes - leaping -- something that roamed during   
the night time. Probably an animal. Squeaker's bane? Squeaker - squeaker --   
what squeaked? Mice! So, the animal was a predator of rodents. The   
Goddess? But of course! Bastet, the feline Egyptian Goddess! Cats were   
sacred in Ancient Egypt, and velvet coats with a plume -- the plume would be   
the cat's tail!  
  
"A cat." He answered confidently. The sphinx smiled and nodded, then fixed   
her unblinking yellow eyes on Fleur.  
  
"I never was, am always to be,  
No one ever saw me, nor ever will.  
And yet, I am the confidence of all,  
To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball."  
  
Bill glanced at her worriedly. She stood in deep thought for a few moments,   
her brows furrowed. Suddenly, her eyes brightened.  
  
"Tomorrow." She said. The sphinx nodded again, and turned back to Bill.  
  
"The beginning of eternity,  
The end of time and space,  
The beginning of every end  
And the end of every place."  
  
The beginning of eternity, and every end. The end of time and space, and   
place…Bill thought hard, and then smiled.   
  
"The letter E." The sphinx smiled and nodded once more, and spoke her last   
riddle to Fleur.  
  
"At night they come without being fetched.  
And at day, they are lost without being stolen."  
  
"Zey are ze stars." Fleur answered calmly after a moment's deliberation. The   
sphinx bowed her stately head, and moved aside. The enchanted gate swung   
open, and Bill and Fleur walked in.  
  
They walked up the sandy hill, and sure enough, when they came within a   
distance where the hieroglyphs were legible, they started shifting at dizzy   
speeds, making any sort of reading or deciphering impossible. Fleur motioned   
for Bill to step back with her. Together, taking slow backwards steps, they   
backed to about twenty feet away from the entrance. Fleur took out her new   
camera and zoomed in, then focused and snapped a picture. As she waited for   
it to develop, she saw Bill giving her a strange look.  
  
"Is somesing ze matter?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Almost every time something comes up, I find that I have underestimated you.   
When we first met, I found that you were knowledgeable and brave. Then, in   
that incident with that bumbling waiter… what was his name? I found that you   
were resourceful. In that incident with that lost child, I found that you were   
kind-hearted. Now, I find that you're quite quick-thinking on your feet as well.   
What more is there to you?" He asked, admiration in his eyes.  
  
Fleur shrugged. "Zat is all zere is to me. Beauty, and some wits. Nosing else.   
Ze picture should be ready soon."  
  
"Nothing else? I doubt that." Bill contradicted her. "Here, let me see the   
photograph."  
  
Fleur handed it over to him. Sure enough, her idea of using a camera to capture   
the arrangement of hieroglyphs on the entrance of Cleopatra's Mausoleum was   
a clever one. The snapshot was clean and clear, and the symbols were easy   
to make out.  
  
"Now, let's see what this says." Bill examined it closely, re-copying the   
symbols onto a spare piece of parchment. "All right then, it reads 'Only the   
blessed, who with Hathor's bond are tied together, may step within this sacred   
place.' Hathor - she's the Goddess of Love and Marriage ---- Oh!" His eyes   
widened to the size of saucers, just as she gasped in comprehension. Finally,   
she managed to stammer out the requirement.   
  
"Zis means zat, in order to enter, we must be married! Mon Dieu!" 


	14. Chapter 14

And here is the chapter you've all been waiting for! The fantabulous wedding chapter ^_^!  
  
Enjoy! AND LEAVE ME LOTS OF REVIEWS, BECAUSE I CRAVE THEM!!  
  
Disclaimers apply. Obviously, I do not own Bill OR Fleur.  
  
~Thalia~  
  
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The location was a dusty desert plain. Bill Weasley looked around him. Sand. Beige, gold, wheaten, honey. The sun a blazing sphere of fire in the tile-blue sky. No vegetation in sight for miles. Bill wiped his forehead with the back of one hand. The splintery, split wood of the empty wizarding bazaar stall over his head did little to block the heat.  
  
His eyes traveled from the distance to himself. He was dressed in his customary casual jeans and shirt. Nothing at all fancy, no dress robes or anything of the sort.  
  
He did not have his family with him. No one else was there but the bazaar owner, who had lent him this space, as witness, and a wizard who had the power to perform special ceremonies. Right now, the bazaar owner's plump wife was in the back room of the stall, along with...her.  
  
The object of many men's lust and desire, and Bill was honest enough to admit, of his, as well. But there was so much more than that. A feisty, proud, clever and vivacious beauty with hair more lustrously golden than any of the treasure that he had ever brought for Gringotts. With eyes blue as delphiniums, that could snap with fury at one moment and shimmer with tenderness the next. He smiled, then frowned. 'Remember, Weasley, this isn't real, it's only a part of the mission. Don't get too attached, it'll just make things hurt worse when it's over.'  
  
The bazaar owner looked at the tall, red-headed young man standing in his stall. Ahmed Zaidi was quite surprised when the young stranger and his lovely friend had barged in that morning at crack of dawn, handed him more galleons than he could have earned selling charmed flutes for a week, and practically demanded that he summon a master of ceremonies at once, for he and his lady companion wanted to get married.  
  
Ahmed had exchanged a glance with his wife Halima, and then, Halima had taken the girl to the back of the stall to prepare, and Ahmed had summoned the local master of ceremonies. Now, the three men were simply waiting for the bride to be ready.  
  
Ahmed, being the simply, friendly soul that he was, looked at the soon-to- be married man and saw him smile, then frown. Immediately, his naturally concerned and solicitous nature evinced itself, and he spoke to the younger man, "Are you worried that what you're doing is wrong, young man? The girl's a pretty one, to be sure, are you wishing that you married her in more splendor?"  
  
It was on the tip of Bill's tongue to reply that this entire ceremony was only part of an assignment that the two were doing, but he said nothing.  
  
He and Fleur needed to get married as soon as possible, because only a couple united by the bond of marriage could enter Cleopatra's Mausoleum, and to complete their assignment, this was all necessary. Of course, he had made sure to tell her that they would only be married for the duration of the assignment, and that she would be free to go as soon as they finished. She had nodded silently, and both of them agreed not to alert any family, since it was a sham anyway, no point in causing an unnecessary ruckus over their 'marriage'.  
  
Fleur...he supposed that she, despite all her protests that she had no objection to this ceremony, would have wanted to marry a man she loved, with all her family around her, in a beautiful wedding garment, surrounded by flowers that could never be as fair as she was. She was an elegant, wealthy, high-class princess, it was her right and her due, and she expected and deserved nothing less.  
  
But then, his face softened, this princess was also the one who had slapped a drunken, overly lewd warlock with so much force that the fellow had tumbled clean to the floor. The one who had sung to a lost child some little French ditty to calm him until his relieved father had turned up. The one who laughed when he told her anecdotes of his family, her voice like a tinkling crystal bell. The only woman he knew who was willing to traipse into old, dangerous tombs and temples with him, who could as easily figure out a sphinx's riddle as she could pin up her hair.  
  
The sound of footsteps broke him out of his reverie. The bazaar stall owner's wife was holding the curtain over the entrance of the back room open with one plump hand, and Fleur walked out. Dressed simply in a plain but clean dress of soft white Egyptian cotton, she offered him her hand and a small smile.  
  
The ceremony was brief and simple. The master of ceremonies produced two plain gold rings from his robes, joined their hands with a strip of well- worn white satin, and spoke the necessary incantation, waving his wand over their hands and completing the spell to bind them.  
  
Bill kept his eyes on Fleur as the master of ceremonies performed these rituals. Her hair was uncovered and unpinned, flowing to her waist. Why, the tresses shimmered just like the glittering sand all around them, and her eyes were the exact shade of the cloudless sky. Standing there in front of him, hair glistening, eyes sparkling, face full of independence and spirit, she looked like the queen of the desert. Just as enduringly beautiful. When the master of ceremonies completed his part, and told Bill in his nasally voice to conclude everything and kiss the bride, he leaned over and kissed Fleur lightly on the lips. Then, graciously, his new bride thanked the bazaar stall owner, his wife and the master of ceremonies, picked up her knapsack, and continued determinedly on their way, head held high, map in hand.  
  
Bill smiled. Perhaps, this was the way her wedding was meant to be, after all. One could always hope.  
  
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Okay, now see what I said? The fluff is starting to return, and alas and alack, there are only a few more chapters of this story before it's all over and done! Review! Or I'll withhold the fluff-tacular ending ~. (J/K, but I'll be grumpy.) 


	15. Chapter 15

And now, the real adventure begins! Into the building.but will they make it out alive? What will happen? Things start to fall in place, but I might end this chapter in a cliffhanger *laughs evilly*..reviews are wholeheartedly welcomed!!  
  
Speaking of reviews: Although I do appreciate constructive criticism, flames or criticism that don't justify themselves or are in any other way ridiculous simply piss me off.  
  
Okay, now that that has been said, a big thank you, a dozen long-stemmed roses and a diamond necklace delivered by a leather-clad Draco-lookalike to my excellent beta, Chained Dove! You rock!!  
  
Disclaimers apply, as usual. If I owned the Harry Potter characters, all the male hotties would be required to wear swim trunks and NOTHING ELSE to classes/work/whatever. Obviously, this is not the case. Therefore, I do not own the Harry Potter characters.  
  
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The two of them set out straightaway for the square tower that was Cleopatra's mausoleum. Intrepidly walking up to the building, Bill cast the traditional entrance spell and waited. The ancient gates, unopened for so many centuries, heaved and groaned as they parted to allow them entrance. Both wary, not knowing exactly what to expect, Bill and Fleur walked in.  
  
As soon as they had stepped inside, the gates banged shut behind them, sealing them in. Alarmed, Fleur immediately shouted "Lumos!" and turned to inspect the gate. Inscribed on the stone, glowing a livid red, were a row of hieroglyphics.  
  
"You 'ave entered grounds sacred to ze queen. Ze ones not chosen shall remain entombed forevermore wis 'er Royal Majesty." Bill's eyes widened.  
  
"What is this thing about 'chosen' or 'not chosen'? If I recall correctly, that prophecy of yours mentioned something of the sort as well." He asked as they walked inward and reached a fork in the corridor.  
  
"Oui. Only ze chosen ones will leave wis ze treasure. Anyone else, well, I suppose zat zey will just be trapped in 'ere until ze sun sets and zen be buried alive in sand." Fleur said softly, "Per'aps we shall die today."  
  
"Perhaps we shall." Bill agreed, looking at his new 'bride'. She was transfiguring her dress and sandals into Muggle khaki shorts, a denim vest and a sturdy pair of boots. Shifting her knapsack from one shoulder to the other, she quickly braided her long golden hair and pinned it up, out of the way. All of the sudden, she turned to face him, and he was surprised to see that her eyes were full of tears.  
  
"Bill," she walked up to him, until she was standing right in front of him, "Eef indeed we are to die today, I 'ope zat you know somesing important." She paused for a moment before continuing softly and in a voice full of sincerity, "Eef we are to die, I..I can't sink of a better way to die zan as your bride." Leaning forward, she brushed her lips lightly across his, a bittersweet kiss as if of farewell. "Now, we shall split up, I will go right, you will go left, and let's 'ope zat one of us shall find ze treasure." Done saying what she had to say, she started down her path, looking back at him over her shoulder and whispering, "Bonne chance, Bill."  
  
Bill watched her go, watched her elegant blonde head becoming smaller and smaller as she walked forward into the darkness. As she disappeared around a corner, he felt a single tear slowly trail down his cheek. Then, wiping it away determinedly, he turned around and headed down his own path in the opposite direction.  
  
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Fleur walked forward, Lumos spell still in place for light. The corridor twisted and turned, meandering snakelike through the tower. At long last, after two hours of continuous walking, she reached a narrow door. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She opened it up, and gasped.  
  
She was surrounded by mirrors on all sides. The room was in the shape of a dodecagon, and the floor, the walls, the ceiling..all were mirrored surfaces, and there were even balls made of mirrors hanging from the ceiling. The effect was dizzying, and Fleur found, to her dismay, that with so many mirrors, she could not see where was a door onwards and not just a reflection.  
  
Taking a calming breath, she thought hard for a few moments, then whispered "Nox." The room was then enclosed in darkness, and Fleur put one hand to the wall, feeling in the darkness for a door.  
  
Finally finding it, she continued onward, opening the door with a charm and walking forward, once again using the "Lumos" spell. Not a moment too soon, either, for the door led to a great precipice, and she was inches from the edge. Quickly pulling the portable Gringotts broomstick that Bill had given her from her knapsack, she kicked off, hoping wholeheartedly that her broom skills were good enough to make it across the yawning abyss.  
  
The journey was only a few minutes, but to her, it seemed agonizingly slow. Finally, she saw solid ground under her feet and touched down, immensely relieved. Quickly, she continued on her way.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Bill, after watching his bride walk away...away from him, continued on his way. He, too, walked down a twisted, serpentine path before reaching a door. However, it was locked securely, and only after five different opening charms of various levels had been tried had the door swung open.  
  
And immediately, Bill saw snakes, covering the floor of the room so thickly that not an inch of the stone was seen. Asps. Venomous. The same type of snake as had killed Cleopatra. Immediately jumping on his broomstick, he started to fly through the long, hall-like room.  
  
The snakes, though, were even more sinister than he had expected. A moment after he was airbourne, he felt something dragging at the end of his broomstick, and saw, to his horror, that half of the snakes, in a chain formation with each snake's tail wrapped around the head of the snake below it, was hanging on to his broom, not letting him fly forward, and the snake at the very top had bared its dripping fangs. Now that the ground was partially cleared, he saw, strewn here and there, skeletons of others who had perished here.  
  
Whipping out his wand, he pointed at the snake chain and shouted "Boreas Arcticus!" The cold-blooded reptiles shrank away from the blast of winter wind that he shot at them, and he was free to fly on. Just to make sure, he kept his wand, and the spell, pointed at the ground, sending the snakes slithering away from the cold.  
  
Passing through that room at last, he slammed the door behind him, and stepped forward into the next room. At first, nothing, but then, an inch in front of his nose, a silvery blur, quickly followed by a metallic clang against the opposite wall. Knives flying across the room! Now how was he to cross? Finally, with a wry smile on his face, he transfigured his clothing into a full suit of chain-mail armor, complete with helmet, and moved forward, knives clanging against him at every step.  
  
Managing to cross unharmed, he opened the next door to reveal total darkness, and a moment later, all former spells vanished as he fell to the ground, unconscious. When he hit the ground, the room was suddenly bathed in light, to reveal a circular room with a raised table on which lay a man in Roman armor and a woman in a linen dress. On either side, leaning against the table, were two younger women in the garb of handmaidens. This table was in front of an elaborate golden throne, with five steps leading up to it. Sitting on the throne, kohl-outlined eyes gleaming eerily, wearing a crown and holding the crooked scepter showing her to be royalty, was a silvery spirit. A woman, the same as the one lying on the table. Cleopatra's ghost waved one thin, imperious hand, and watched with a smile as chains shot out from the wall to wrap around Bill's arms and legs.  
  
Meanwhile, Fleur, just about to walk into a next room, suddenly froze, filled with an inexplicable but unrelenting sense of dread. A moment later, her broomstick was out once again, and this time, without hesitation, she kicked off and flew like a bullet back in the direction that she had come from.  
  
Her grandmother Angelique Thericault Chapelle was a veela, and had told her all about certain veela characteristics that she might notice, besides the obvious beauty. Now, one thing that she had learnt from Grandmére Angelique flashed in her brain like a lightning bolt.  
  
Veela had certain empathic abilities, and ones with veela blood would be able to pick up on the feelings of people around them. However, this ability would only work on people within a certain distance. She would not be able to sense anything from people if they were not standing next to her, with one exception.  
  
For the rare veela who had found her soulmate, she would be able to sense him no matter where he was. And now, she sensed danger. This, and the realization of what caused her to sense it in the first place, made her head spin for a moment, but she sped onward, not even noticing the precipice and the mirrors this time. Bill was in danger, and she had to find him.  
  
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REVIEW!!! 


	16. Chapter 16

And instead of making you wait for long periods of time and risk flying rotten vegetables, I have decided to be a good little person and have the next chapter out for your perusal quite quickly. Be glad. Show your gladness in the form of reviews.

Disclaimer: I still do not own any Harry Potter characters. I probably never will. Don't be sad! If I did, certain very, very freaky things would happen to Harry's world *maniacal laughter*

Health, wealth and Draco come to Dove, my amazing beta *glomp*!

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Within an hour, Fleur was back where the two had begun. The jangling sense of danger was now stronger than ever, and with it, also growing stronger with every moment, was the knowledge that if she was not able to save him, if anything..._anything_ happened to him, she would suffer worse pain than from ten thousand Cruciatus curses. Edging forward down the twisting path on her broomstick, she steered with one hand, wand drawn and ready in the other. It seemed that she had broom skills after all, when there was dire need for them.

Reaching a door after another hour, she aimed her wand at it and fired, in rapid succession, every single opening charm she could recall. After four tries, the door swung open, and in front of her eyes was a roomful of snakes. Hissing, coiling, fanged and venomous asps. What to do? What to do? Raising her wand high as she hovered at the entrance of the door, she fired transfiguration spells at as many snakes as she could, and chaos filled the room as the snakes she hit suddenly turned into mongooses and started attacking the remaining asps. Continuing her transfiguration spells as she flew across the room, she finally reached the other end, paying absolutely no attention to the furied animal fights going on below and behind her. 

Opening the next door, she immediately heard the clanging and clinking of knives as they flew across the room. "Ultima Armori Defendium!" she shouted, saying the strongest shielding charm she knew as she waved her wand around to encompass her and her broomstick. Continuing forward, hair coming down and out of her braid, she flew on towards the next door. Reaching it, she shouted an opening spell, not even noticing when her shield faded and a flying knife blade grazed her cheek, leaving a bloody line.

The feeling of deadly danger was now so strong that she reeled backwards. "'Oo is zere?" she asked aloud as she walked forward in the darkness. There was a _whoosh_, and light filled the room at the same time that chains wrapped themselves around her wrists and ankles. An unearthly, powerful voice called out "Expelliarmus!" and Fleur's wand fell to the ground, out of her reach. Fleur gasped as she took in the sight in front of her.

Next to her, similarly chained, was Bill. In front of her was a funeral bier, where lay Marc Antony in armor and Cleopatra in linen robes, looking fresh as if they were merely asleep, with a pair of handmaidens on the ground next to them. And beyond that...a throne of gold inlaid with jewels, in which sat, in all her spectral, terrible glory, the ghost of Cleopatra, with crown and crook.

"Ah, so here is the Princess. I was wondering when you would arrive." The ghost-queen said, still looking at Fleur unblinkingly.

"Please, I beg of you, your 'ighness, please let 'im go." Fleur, the proud, aristocratic French beauty, found herself begging and pleading and thinking nothing of it...as long as he would be safe.

But the queen did not release Bill from his chains. "Not so quickly, Princess. You have not passed the test."

"Test? What test? Whatevair it is, please just tell me, and I will try my best as long as you let 'im go!"

"What test, you ask? It is simple, yet none have passed. It is not hard, but because of it, the dead lie all around me. If you succeed, all that you came here for shall be yours, but if you fail, doom come to you both." Cleopatra's ghost smiled. "He that lies beside you was the first to come, but you who pursued him must finish the test."

"All right! Zat is pairfectly fine, would you just please tell me ze test zen?" Fleur continued hurriedly, unaware or unconcerned that she was snapping irritably at one of the most powerful sorceresses of all time. But Cleopatra's ghost did not seem to mind, and simply spoke.

"Tell me the story of Charms and Curses, Princess."

"What? Ze story of Charms and Curzes? What story is zat? Zere are millions of charms and curzes in ze world, 'ow do you mean for me to tell a story of zem?" Fleur asked, entirely confused and bewildered.

"That, of course, is entirely up to you, Princess. What does 'Charms and Curses' mean to you? Speak, for you have but three hours until sunset."

Fleur thought hard. Charms and Curses? Well, she knew what Charms meant to her. Her favorite class while in school, veela powers. In short, her strength. But curses? Curses...curse...curse-breaking...BILL!

Cleopatra's ghost smiled again as Fleur gasped. "Yes, tell me about Charms and Curses, Princess."

Fleur nodded, and though her voice was full of worry and fear, it was firm when she began. 

"Zere was once a princess 'oo lived in a kingdom far away. She was beautiful, rich, and 'ad many suitors. But ze princess 'ad an 'eart of ice, and she scorned all of them.

Zen, one day, ze princess, searching for glory and adventure in a foreign land, met an adventurer to join 'er in 'er travels. Ze adventurer was nosing like ze princess' old suitors. 'E was a free spirit, and did not care zat ze princess was beautiful and rich, choosing instead to be 'er friend just because of 'oo she was. Zey traveled togezer, and ze princess learned to live free as ze wind, not just 'ow to sit all day in 'er castle and look pretty. Ze adventurer, like all ze other men, sought zat ze princess was beautiful, but 'e did not sink of ze princess as a porcelain doll. 'E was determined to uncover all 'er soughts and feelings, and despite ze fact zat zey came from different worlds, despite zeir disagreements and quarrels, ze princess fell in love wis 'im because 'e was ze first person to sink of 'er as a person 'oo 'ad more zan just beauty." Cleopatra's ghost nodded and waved one hand, and next to Fleur, Bill stirred and opened his eyes, regaining consciousness. Noticing Fleur next to him, he gasped.

"Fleur! You're chained down! Quick, I have to get you out of here..." But he was securely chained down as well, and he could not reach his wand. So frantic was he in his vain efforts to save Fleur that he did not even notice anything else in his surroundings until the sound of a throat clearing drew his attention forward. He looked past the bier, his eyes falling upon the splendid golden throne and the beautiful, terrible ghost sitting in it. Comprehension started to dawn upon his face, and he immediately addressed the ghost-queen.

"Please, let her go! I'll do anything!"

"Tarry, young adventurer. You were the first to arrive, and therefore the first to fall. Nothing you can do will move me, but let the princess finish her test. If she succeeds at the task at hand, you will both be free." The ghost turned back to Fleur, and beckoned for her to continue, "After the Princess falls in love with the adventurer, what happened then?"

"Ze princess...she was scared." Fleur's voice was soft, "She 'ad seen many ozers like 'erself fall in love, only to end in 'eartbreak, so she pretended zat she does not really love 'im. She was selfish, and broke 'IS 'eart so zat SHE will not 'ave any chance of getting 'urt by 'im in ze future."

"How very sad. And so, they part, but will they ever come back together?" The ghost said, still gazing unblinkingly at Fleur.

"Zat...I don't know. But ze story is not finished. Ze princess, afraid of 'eartbreak, is 'eartbroken anyway. And zen, she learns ze most important lesson of all." The ghost seemed to perk up at this.

"And what would that lesson be, princess?"

Fleur closed her eyes briefly before continuing in a quiet but very certain voice. "Zat in love, 'er 'eart will be broken no matter what. Love is full of pain, but it is wors any amount of pain. Wisout ze one she loves, 'er 'eart is as good as dead anyway, and so, ze princess finds ze courage to let love melt ze ice in 'er 'eart."

The ghost of Cleopatra smiled, and stood from her throne. Stepping forward, she walked towards Bill and Fleur. Stopping in front of Bill, she looked down into his stunned face and asked, "And does the adventurer love the princess enough to forgive her for running away from him?"

Bill had been trying to make sense of the situation, and figuring out exactly what Fleur was talking about in her story of princesses and adventurers and whatnot. Then, at the very moment that the ghost-queen addressed him, he realized what she was talking about. The princess and adventurer, that was the two of them! And that would mean that...Fleur's story...his heart soared, and then, dimly, he was aware that he had been asked a question. In a voice as soft but as firm as Fleur's had been, he answered, "Of course he does, as long as the princess never runs away from him again."

Clang! Their chains fell to the ground and the ghost-queen clapped her hands. Fleur and Bill suddenly found themselves holding a crown and a crook in their hands. Looking in surprise at the figures on the funeral bier, they saw that Cleopatra was now bare-headed, and her hands empty. The ghost smiled, and waved her hands in front of them slowly. The world spun, and all went dark.

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Woo-hoo!! *hold up "Applause" sign* Now, wasn't that fun? Go and leave me a review telling me all about how much you loved this!


	17. Chapter 17

*Sob!* The story is nearly over! Sad, ne? Not really....anyway, I told y'all that the fluff would return, so you should all be happy now and leave me a lot of happy happy reviews!

Anyway, as always, hugs and kisses from Draco-lookalikes to my marvelous beta Chained Dove!

As always, disclaimers apply. If I owned the characters, I would be richer than God right now from running a massive sex ring operation and renting various hotties to the highest bidders (keeping a few for personal consumption, of course). This is not the case. Apparently, the ones who really do own the characters think that I am a depraved and immoral psychopath and do not want this to happen, so... 

If y'all want a sweet, fluffy epilogue, leave me a review and tell me. 

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Gradually, the world stopped spinning and Bill and Fleur opened their eyes. They were outside, sitting in the desert sand, and Cleopatra's Mausoleum was behind them. Faintly, the sound of falling sand filled their ears. The sun was setting in the sky.

They just sat there, catching their breath and looking at each other in silence. Grasped tightly in their hands, the artifacts that they had nearly died to retrieve gleamed in the red light of the setting sun. Finally, Fleur spoke weakly, "We did it!"

Bill smiled, then frowned, "You're hurt!" Carelessly setting down the crook, he waved his wand at his knapsack and yelled "Accio Potion set!" Quickly selecting a healing potion, he unsealed the crystal vial and poured the potion onto a clean handkerchief, then gently put the handkerchief up to Fleur's cut cheek, holding it there.

Fleur watched his face as he gently rubbed the potion into the cut on her cheek. Both of them looked frightful. His clothing was sand-stained, the dragonhide boots scuffed, his mussed red hair was coming out of its ponytail. She had transfigured her dress into more comfortable shorts, but in the circular room of the mausoleum, all spells had been broken, and now the formerly white dress was stained with sand, with frayed sleeves and a torn bottom hem. Her hair was wild, entirely out of its braid, and fell in an untidy golden shower around her. He gently removed the handkerchief, and she felt the pain in the cut disappear. But he frowned slightly, "That's strange. This is supposed to prevent scars."

Fleur's eyes widened, and she quickly summoned a mirror from her knapsack. True enough, marring the smooth blossom-petal skin of her cheek was a thin white scar about an inch long. Nothing grotesque or very noticeable, but an imperfection nonetheless. "Ze knife was an enchanted one." She said softly, "I am no longer beautiful."

All of the sudden, she found the crown in her hands falling to the ground as he crushed her tightly in his arms. Simply holding her for a few moments, he then pulled away to look at her, brown eyes gazing into blue. "You will always be beautiful to me, Fleur. Always." That said, he brushed his lips gently over the scar on her cheek, and kissed away the tear that slid down from her eye before covering her lips with his own.

The two of them just sat there, in this world of enchantment where no one existed but the two of them, weary and exhausted but triumphant, hearts pounding as they held each other close. When they finally parted, the moon had risen and it was nighttime. Fleur, face flushed, lips swollen, slowly removed her arms from around Bill's neck and gestured the artifacts on the ground. "Per'aps we should go and report to ze 'Eadmaster Dumblydorr, we are done wis ze mission after all." Bill nodded, and picked up the portkey box in his knapsack, opening it to reveal a rusty spoon. Together, the two touched the portkey, and vanished. The desert plain was now empty and peaceful once more, no sign that anyone had ever been there.

Appearing at Hogwarts, Bill knocked on the door. Moments later, a surprised Minerva McGonagall, clad in tartan robes, opened it up.

"Why, Bill Weasley, and Fleur Delacour! What are you two doing here at this hour?" Bill and Fleur held out the retrieved artifacts.

"We need to see Professor Dumbledore." Bill spoke without preamble. Professor McGonagall, eyes widening at the items the two held in their hands, quickly let them in and led them to the Headmaster's office.

"Ice Mice!" She called out to the gargoyle. Within moments, Bill and Fleur found themselves sitting in the office, in front of a beaming Dumbledore.

"You two made it! You really made it!" the old man exclaimed, "Words cannot describe how proud of you I am, that you two were able to complete such a dangerous mission so quickly and well!" He took the artifacts from Bill and Fleur, and set them down next to the Sorting Hat and Gryffindor's sword. "I have heard that the mausoleum is filled with different spells and enchantments, and that many people had perished trying to get the treasure that you have gotten. You two must have done something extraordinary to be able to retrieve the items. But I shall not ask you about this now. You two both look tired, I shall let the two of you rest, and tomorrow, we shall talk." Clapping his hands, he summoned a house elf.

"Dilly, please take Mister and Mrs. William Weasley to the Head Student quarters, and bring them some dinner." Dumbledore winked at the surprised couple. "I would be highly disappointed in you, Bill, if it were not the case. But I see that it is." He gestured the rings on their clasped hands. "The best of luck to you both, you deserve it. I will let you two sup and rest in the Head Student quarters.  Mr. Weasley, of course, you remember them?"

"Yes, sir." Bill replied, "Thank you." 

"There has not been a new password yet, but that can be remedied right now." Dumbledore continued, "Would the two of you be so kind as to think of one for me?"

Bill and Fleur glanced at each other, then smiled. "Charms and Curses!" the two of them spoke in unison. Dumbledore nodded, and spoke a spell as he pointed his wand at a map of the building. 

With that, the two of them followed Dilly the house elf out of Dumbledore's office, up one flight of stairs and to a portrait of an elven archer dressed in green. The archer smiled when he saw Bill, as if in welcome.

"Hello there, Lexiel." Bill greeted him cordially, "It's been a long time, has it not?"

"Welcome back, William Weasley." The archer said in a modulated, harmonious voice. "It has been many years since you have occupied these quarters. And your lady I have never met."

His lady! Bill grinned wider, "This is Fleur." The archer bowed deeply.

"An honor to meet you, fair one. Goodwill to you both." Fleur thanked him, and Bill called out the password. The portrait swung open, and Bill suddenly swung the lovely young woman next to him into his arms, carrying her in amid her light laughter.

When they entered, an elaborate supper had been set out for them on a low cherry-wood table, and to their surprise, there was a big bouquet of red roses as well. The two of them took turns to shower and change into clean clothing, then ate their supper.

After she had eaten her fill, Fleur got to her feet. "So zis is where you stayed when you were 'Ead Boy. 'Oo was ze 'Ead Girl?"

Bill thought back, "The Head Girl was a Ravenclaw named Maya Warrington. I think she has a younger brother who either is in his 7th year or has just graduated here, in Slytherin House. Both play Quidditch, she was a seeker, and if I recall correctly, her brother plays chaser." He grinned. "My brother Charlie had a mad crush on her for awhile. Despite their being on rival teams. It was all quite amusing, him finding all sorts of reasons to talk to me here in order to catch a glimpse of her."

And so, the rest of the evening, the two of them sat together on the brocade-covered couch in front of the fire and Fleur, her head comfortably nestled in Bill's lap, listened to him relate anecdotes from his Hogwarts days. After a while, Fleur stretched languidly, and stood. "So, where did you sleep?"

"Here." Bill gestured to the two staircases, one on the left and one on the right, and walked towards the one on the right. "Up here." He led Fleur up the stairs to a luxuriously appointed room with a desk, a wardrobe, mirror, a bookshelf and a large, canopied four-poster bed covered with snow-white satin sheets, down and velvet quilts, and comfortable-looking pillows. Fleur looked around the room with interest, then flopped down onto the bed, golden hair fanning out onto the white pillows. Closing her eyes briefly in contentment, she smiled.

"Zis is a vairy comfortable bed."

"Yes, yes it is." Bill said, now a trifle nervous. She was lying down in the middle of the bed, and did not seem to have any intention of moving. His mouth became dry. "Er, would you like to go to the Head Girl room?"

Fleur lazily opened her eyes and quirked an elegant eyebrow at him. "'Ow vairy rude. Is it a custom for an Englishman to kick 'is wife out of 'is room on zeir wedding night?"

Bill blushed, and stammered, "W-well, it's not th-that...I didn't know if...I mean...er..." He stopped at the sound of her tinkling laughter, and mock-scowled, "You're laughing at my expense, aren't you?"

"Oui, of course!" she said saucily back at him, merry blue eyes looking up into his brown ones. He growled. 

"C'mere, you..." he pulled her up and spun her around in his arms until she was dizzy, her shrieking with laughter the entire time. Finally, he set her back down on her feet, although he did not let her go. She put her hands gently on his shoulders, and her eyes grew serious.

"Bill, eef I 'ad forgotten to tell you before, I want you to know zat I love you." Fleur said softly.

He smiled down at her, forehead resting against hers, one hand coming up to caress her soft cheek...the thin little scar... "I love you too, Fleur. Always. You are the most beautiful woman, both inside and out, that I have ever, and will ever know." He said softly, before meeting her lips with his own in a deep kiss. She moaned slightly and wound her arms around his neck.

She did not get kicked out of the room on her wedding night, after all.

*          *          *

That's it! No more! Well, there might be an epilogue...depends on how many people want one. No more for this chapter anyway...the lovebirds need some privacy, wouldn't you agree?

How did you like that? Was it fluffy enough? Review! Review!


	18. Epilogue

And here is the epilogue of Charms and Curses! Basically a bunch of fluff and nonsense! Enjoy!

Disclaimers have applied for every other chapter of this fic. This one is no different. 

As always, thanks to my magnificent beta editor Dove, without whose help this fic would not be possible.

REVIEW!!!

*          *          *

            Molly Weasley was humming to herself as she set the table for dinner. She had received an owl from Albus Dumbledore that morning informing her that she would be receiving a pleasant surprise that evening, and that the night before, there had been great progress made by members of the Light Side. Ginny, lifting the pot of soup off the stove, glanced at the clock.

            "Mum, look! Bill's hand is traveling toward 'home'!" 

            "Why, so it is! I suppose this is the surprise that Professor Dumbledore was talking of. Well, I'll just get another plate, then. Dinnertime, dears!" Molly called out to the house as she briskly got another plate from the cupboard and walked towards the table with it just as the pop of apparation sounded in the foyer.

            "Good evening, Mum, hello there, Ginny!" Bill strode into the kitchen, all smiles. He kissed his mother's cheek, and ruffled his little sister's hair. 

            "Why, Bill, I thought that you were in Egypt still! Dumbledore had owled me at the beginning of the summer telling me that you were likely going to be gone for the whole summer. But it's lovely that you're here, Harry and Hermione will be here in a week to visit as well...And who is that with you?" Molly caught sight of the beautiful blonde girl standing behind Bill, wearing a pale blue dress and a somewhat hesitant expression on her face. At that moment, Ron, Fred and George came bounding down the stairs.

            "Hey there, Bill." Ron greeted this brother, then he, too, caught sight of Fleur, and blushed purple. "F-Fleur?!? W-what?!"

            ""Ello zere, Ron, 'ow are you?" Fleur greeted the boy cordially, "You 'ave a vairy nice 'ome." Turning to a confused Mrs. Weasley, she smiled charmingly, "Bill 'as told me so much about you, Mrs. Weasley. It is an 'onor to meet you at last." She finished greeting the other members of the family, and then, Bill spoke.

            "Say, mum, will Dad and Percy be home soon?" As if on cue, Arthur and Percy apparated in, the latter's eyes widening when he saw Fleur.

            "Good evening there, weren't you the Beauxbatons Champion for the Triwizard Tournament?" This raised another storm of questions directed at Bill and Fleur from all sides. Finally, Bill raised his hands for silence.

            "Well, Fleur, this here is my family. All here, except Charlie, who won't be back from Romania until next week. Everyone, this is Fleur. Some of you know her from the Triwizard Tournament. She's my wife."

            There was the clinking of breaking china followed by a dull thud. Mrs. Weasley had dropped the plate she was carrying in her hands on the floor before fainting.

~          ~          ~

Letter from Ron Weasley to Harry Potter, 28 July 

Harry,

Blimey! You would not BELIEVE what happened today! This evening, just as it was about time for dinner, Bill came home. He wasn't expected to come home this summer so that was a surprise, but you would NEVER guess who he brought with him!

FLEUR DELACOUR!

She came with him, and Mum and everyone else wanted to know what was going on, and then Bill goes and tells everyone to be quiet, then tells us that the two of them are MARRIED!! Mum fainted, everything was in an uproar, and dinner did not get started til about an hour later after Bill answered all the questions from everyone and got scolded by Mum for not telling her. But they're REALLY married, wearing rings and holding hands and all that stuff. According to Bill, they were doing something in Egypt together for an assignment of some sort, Bill would not tell me exactly what it was, said that it was classified information.

Well, Fleur has changed a lot over the summer. She was really nice-like to all of us, polite and everything. But what's more, she has a scar on her cheek! A thin white line about an inch long. Said she got a cut from an enchanted knife. Bill doesn't seem to mind a bit, I caught them snogging outside after dinner (ugh!). Of course, he's bloody besotted with her, but she seems to be just as besotted back. It's really quite sick making! 

Anyway, Happy Birthday from all of us here! Mum sent you a cherry pie, and the twins sent you something...I have no idea what it does but you should probably not eat it...feed it to your cousin again. I've enclosed a book, just out! Seeker Stratagems by Ganymede Fleet. Fleur insisted on including a present as well, saying all this stuff about how she will always be in your debt for saving her sister, and the owl delivering it is hers, since Pig is way too small to carry all of this. Anyway,when you and Hermione arrive next week, everyone'll be home. Hermione owled me saying that she'll pick you up this time, since she's muggle-born and her parents have a car. Then, they are going drop the two of you off in Diagon Alley to floo to the Burrow.

Well, that's all for now, hope the muggles aren't being too horrible. See you soon!

Your friend,

Ron

~          ~          ~

Letter from Hermione Granger to Ron Weasley, 31 July

Dear Ron,

You should be happy for Bill and Fleur! I mean, if they're in love and everything, it's great news! What I am curious about is what they did in Egypt. Egyptian wizardry is so fascinating, I read all about it after you went on that trip to Egypt. Do you think that perhaps Bill and Fleur could answer some questions about it for me? Well, I guess I'll see when Harry and I arrive. Give them my congratulations, by the way.

Anyway, have you and Harry started studying for OWLs? I have, I ordered a study guide on them at the beginning of summer and I'm through with Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Charms. I still have to go through Herbology and Astronomy. Perhaps I will ask Percy about OWLs when I get there, he got full marks on all of them, didn't he? How is he, by the way, after that nasty business with Mr. Crouch and all? I hope he and everyone else is fine.

Oh! And I have the most exciting news! I got an owl from Professor McGonagall yesterday, and I've been made a Prefect! These are the Prefect, Head Boy and Head Girl assignments for the various houses:

Gryffindor Prefects: 

5th Year: Dean and myself

6th Year: Leander Garrison and Violet Brown (Lavender's sister)

7th Year: Ivan Vilensky

Hufflepuff Prefects:

5th Year: Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott

6th Year: Bert MacMillan (brother of Ernie) and Flora Hurst

7th Year: Lorenzo Martinez and Beatrice Gray

Ravenclaw Prefects:

5th Year: Terry Boot and Padma Patil

6th Year: Robert Entwhistle and Cho Chang

7th Year: Stefan Ackerley and Tomoko Fujiwara

Slytherin Prefects:

5th Year: Draco Malfoy (ugh!) and Blaise Zabini

6th Year: Vivek Gupta and Cara Wellesley

7th Year: Adrienne Emerson

Head Boy: Clarence Warrington (Slytherin)

Head Girl: Angelina Johnson (Gryffindor!!! Goodness, I wonder what Fred thinks of this?! He ought to behave himself this year!)

Yes, unfortunately Malfoy is a Prefect as well. But I guess that I will just have to deal with him. You and Harry should try to avoid fighting with him this year since he might very well take off points. I guess we'll see.

Anyway, I had better finish my studying for tonight and start to pack. I will see you in a few days!

Love from

Hermione

~          ~          ~

Letter from Harry Potter to Fleur Delacour Weasley, 1 August 

Fleur,

Congratulations on your marriage, I heard from Ron. I hope that you and Bill will be very happy together. You probably already know this, but you really couldn't have married into a nicer family. 

Thanks very much for the present, that was really something! A pensieve, really...you didn't have to! I really didn't do that much to save your sister. Speaking of which, how is Gabrielle? Fine, I hope? Tell her I said hello next time you write.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing all of you in two days!

Sincerely,

Harry Potter

_*          *          *_

Fast Forward Three Years

*          *          *

            Fleur smiled to herself as she set down her book. She really had never thought that she would ever fall in love, let alone marry. But here she was. She was a lucky one indeed, married to a wonderful, talented man who loved her as much as she loved him. 

            After their mission, Dumbledore, who had sent various other people on other assignments as well, had headed the Resistance Movement known as the Order of the Phoenix. Bill had moved back to England from Egypt to help out, utilizing his curse-breaking skills and defense against the dark arts knowledge as an auror. Fleur, too, made her home in England, working at Hogwarts as assistant Charms professor. 

            By summertime a year after her marriage, war had broken out. The artifacts that she and Bill had retrieved from Cleopatra's Mausoleum were put into great use, as so many people fought and suffered on both sides. There were some casualties, but thanks to the efforts of the Order of the Phoenix, they were not nearly as numerous as they could have been. 

            Finally, in the beginning of this year, the war was at long last over. The Light Side was victorious, and Voldemort was dead at last. Many Death Eaters, including the dastardly Wormtail, had been captured and sentenced to the Dementor's kiss. Others, like Lucius Malfoy, Walden Macnair and Claudius Nott, had perished either in battle or, like the first, had committed suicide. 

            That fall, several changes were made at Hogwarts. Professors Flitwick and Vector both retired. After three years of interning under him, Fleur now replaced Professor Flitwick as the Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw House. The other new faculty member was none other than Hermione Granger, soon to be Weasley. Another relatively new faculty member was Bill. Towards the end of the war, the muggle-born Ancient Runes teacher, Professor Scribbins, had been killed. After the defeat of the dark side, Dumbledore had immediately hired Bill to fill in the position, saying that he knew no one more qualified, and moreover, it would give him more time with his wife. In order to not have any confusion over common last names, Fleur and Hermione had both opted to be called by their maiden names for the entire duration of their careers as Hogwarts professors, much to the amusement of their respective men. 

            Today, Bill was substituting for her in supervising the first Hogsmeade visit, as she had to see Madam Pomfrey that morning. He would be back soon, and she had a big surprise for him.

            As if on cue, the door to their rooms opened, and Bill walked in. "Hello there, love."

            "'Ello. Did you 'ave a nice day?" She stood up from her couch and walked into his waiting arms. The two embraced briefly before Bill pulled away.

            "My day was fine, how about you? What did Madam Pomfrey tell you?"

            "Per'aps you should sit down for zis." Fleur said softly. Bill instantly grew alarmed. 

            "Is there something wrong? Are you sick?" Fleur laughed lightly.

            "Calm down, Bill. I am not sick, alzough I might be in anuzzer mons or so. I am pregnant." She calmly dropped the bomb, and waited for the inevitable stunned reaction from her husband.

            He didn't disappoint. Brown eyes widening to saucer-like size, he stammered, "PREGNANT?! B-but...how..?"

            She laughed wryly, "Must I explain to you ze mesod by which women get pregnant? I certainly don't recall you 'aving any confusion about ze concept zat night after ze starting feast, where you drank all zose toasts to me as ze new Charms Professor, and afterwards me 'aving to practically levitate you out to our rooms so zat what transpired zereafter did not 'appen in front of ze impressionable first-year students..." she trailed off. He blushed red as his hair, then put both hands on her shoulders heavily.

            "Are you...really...?" he asked, in a small voice.

            "Oui, about two mons along." Bill gave a whoop, then swung his wife into his arms and spun her around until she was dizzy, all the while grinning ear to ear. Finally, he set a breathless Fleur down on her feet, and she laughed.

            "I take it zat you are 'appy, zen?" she asked.

            "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am!" he exclaimed, and spun her around once more before kissing her deeply.

~          ~          ~

            It was noted in passing that evening by incumbent Head Girl Ginny Weasley that her brother and his wife, their respective Ancient Runes and Charms professors, came to the Halloween feast together fifteen minutes late, looking very dishevelled.

*          *          *

Waiii!! And it's finished! *exhausted sigh* REVIEW!!!


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